Retail & Commercial

Scammers in Maine are calling residents and telling them they owe money to the state's Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Home BancShares in Conway, Ark., has agreed to buy Florida Traditions Bank in Dade City, Fla. The $6.8 billion-asset Home said it will pay $43 million stock for the $312 million-asset Florida Traditions.

RKJS Bank, an interim company formed by a group of local Baltimore investors, won First Mariner's bankruptcy auction Tuesday after National Penn Bancshares (NPBC) in Allentown, Pa., withdrew its offer.

In the old days the Fed's monetary policy and bank supervision were separate sides of the house. But its postcrisis capital rules for banks are blurring those boundaries.

The Federal Reserve prohibited a former Missouri bank chairman from involvement in any bank management after he admitted to using federal bailout money to buy a luxury condominium.

Investors Bancorp (ISBC) in Short Hills, N.J. reported a surge in quarterly profit because of a stronger balance sheet.

Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC) in Green Bay, Wisc., reported a profit of $44 million in the first quarter, down 4.6% from the same period last year, as fee income fell and credit costs increased.

Midsize banks remain concerned about their ability to meaningfully grow revenue at a time when yields on loans are narrowing and income from mortgage banking — a key revenue driver — continues to shrink.

Board members and prospects are nervous about personable liability, given a rise in government lawsuits against former directors of failed banks. While banks typically carry insurance for directors, it is unclear how much protection those policies provide.

Sandy Spring Bancorp in Olney, Md., said its first-quarter profit rose 3% from a year earlier, to $10.9 million. The improvement was largely because of loan growth, changes in funding costs and efforts to increase wealth management and insurance revenue, the company said.