Americas

Several lenders are attempting to recover a combined total of nearly $500 million from the estate of the deceased chief executive of an Oklahoma energy company.

Royal Bank of Canada beat analysts' estimates for the fiscal third quarter as its City National purchase in the U.S. bolstered wealth management and capital markets earnings surged. Canada's largest lender raised its dividend 2.5% to 83 cents a share.

First Defiance Financial in Defiance, Ohio, has agreed to pay $63 million for Commercial Bancshares, the $342 million-asset parent of Commercial Savings Bank.

Santander Consumer USA Holdings again delayed its second-quarter results and financial statement due to ongoing discussions with federal regulators about accounting issues.

United Bankshares in West Virginia has quietly become a $14 billion-asset player in its region thanks to the M&A strategy of its highly respected leader, Richard Adams, who has a way of establishing a rapport with community bank chiefs. One recent seller is a repeat customer.

Southern First Bank in Greenville, S.C., and Five Star Bank in Warsaw, N.Y., are entering new markets.

The latest lending figures show just how prodigious banks' shift from construction to C&I loans has been since the crisis. Yet a hard look at C&I credits, especially their loss rates, raises questions about whether they are safer.

Howard Bank in Ellicott City, Md., has recruited a trio of BB&T executives to grow its commercial business.

The holding company for Tennessee's FirstBank plans to hold an initial public offering, in order to make more than $65 million in distributions and debt repayments to its chairman.

The Bancorp in Wilmington, Del., disclosed the identities of directors nominated to its board by two investor groups.