Americas

First National Bankers Bankshares Inc. in Baton Rouge, La., said late Friday that it consolidated its four banks along the Gulf Coast.

MidSouth Bancorp Inc. in Lafayette, La., plans to enter the Dallas market after agreeing to buy five area branches from a bank being sold through bankruptcy court.

Colony Financial in Los Angeles plans to sell common stock in a public offering that could raise up to $284 million.

Old Line Bancshares in Bowie, Md., said Friday it has completed its acquisition of Maryland Bancorp in Lexington Park.

The board of Commonwealth Business Bank in Los Angeles said Friday it did not renew the employment contract of the bank's chief executive.

First Financial Holding has 90 days to provide the Fed with a written plan to improve oversight of risk management and anti-money-laundering compliance.

The Justice Department said Friday that it will not challenge Hancock Holding's deal to acquire Whitney Holding of New Orleans as long as the companies sell eight branches.

Lawmakers in state capitals across the country are increasingly intrigued by arguments for public banks. With the financial crisis fueling disdain for the banking industry in general, some view these banks as an appealing alternative to a system they consider to be broken. But Eric Hardmeyer, president and chief executive of the Bank of North Dakota, is not so sure.

The $7.4 billion-asset company said its board has also approved a plan to sell about $293 million in substandard and nonperforming loans and $142 million in foreclosed properties.

A seemingly solid lending relationship can get dangerously big. Chris Myers, president and chief executive of CVB Financial Corp., learned this lesson the hard way.