Americas

National Penn Bancshares Inc. in Boyertown, Pa., said Thursday that net income fell 36% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier but asset quality trends continued to improve.

First Niagara Financial Group Inc. in Buffalo reported a 58.8% increase in fourth-quarter net income Thursday. The $21 billion-asset company said its profit rose by $17 million from a year earlier, to $45.9 million, or 22 cents a share.

First National Community Bancorp Inc. of Dunmore, Pa. has hired investment bank Sandler O'Neill Partners LP to help it evaluate "capital and strategic alternatives."

HMN Financial Inc. in Rochester, Minn., said it plans to defer paying the next dividend it owes the Treasury Department.

The chairman of the Fort Worth, Texas, home builder D.R. Horton said foreclosures and tighter mortgage lending standards are factors hurting his company's performance.

Hanmi Financial Corp. in Los Angeles on Thursday reported its first profitable quarter in more than two years. The $2.9 billion-asset company earned $5.3 million in the fourth quarter, compared with a loss of $35.9 million a year earlier.

Susquehanna Bancshares Inc. in Lititz, Pa., announced an agreement to buy Abington Bancorp Inc. in Jenkinton, Pa.

Astoria Financial Corp. in Lake Success, N.Y., has announced that its chief executive officer will retire at midyear.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc. in San Antonio posted a slight increase in fourth-quarter earnings compared to a year earlier. The $17.6 billion-asset company's earnings rose 3.1%, to $53.1 million. The loan-loss provision was half what it had been a year earlier, at $11.3 million.

UMB Financial Corp. in Kansas City, Mo., reported a 20.2% decline in fourth-quarter earnings from a year earlier, to $19 million, largely due to higher personnel costs tied to past acquisitions.