Banking

The head of the Independent Community Bankers of America fires a legal warning at NCUA and says relations between the two industries has never been more strained.

BNH Financial in Laconia, N.H., has agreed to buy Community Guaranty in Plymouth, N.H.

Blue Ridge Bankshares in Luray, Va., has issued $10 million in subordinated debt and plans to exit the Small Business Lending Fund.

U.S. bank earnings increased 5% in the third quarter from a year earlier to $40.4 billion as a “few large banks” recorded lower litigation expenses, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Tuesday.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has updated its regulatory agenda and now expects pre-rule activities for debt collection to last through February 2016.

Bank of the James Financial Group in Lynchburg, Va., is planning to raise about $11.5 million through a private placement.

The rapid growth of competition from nonbanks has the potential to hit community banks harder than the mortgage meltdown.

MainSource Financial Group in Greensburg, Ind., has agreed to buy Cheviot Financial in Cincinnati.

A federal judge who dismissed a case against two high-cost lenders suggested the outcome was unfortunate, but said her hands were tied by the law.

Entegra Financial in Franklin, N.C., has agreed to buy Oldtown Bank in Waynesville, N.C.

First Farmers and Merchants in Columbia, Tenn., plans to buy out some of its shareholders and deregister as a publicly traded company.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Monday warned that it would go after companies that automatically withdraw funds from bank accounts without a consumer's consent.

The $5.4 billion-asset WSFS said in a press release Monday that it will pay $101 million, or $21.75 a share, in cash and stock for the $651 million-asset parent of Penn Liberty Bank.

Hanmi Financial has gone public with efforts to merge with BBCN Bancorp in a move the Los Angeles company hopes will scuttle another rumored pairing.

The goal of adopting chip cards — to provide tighter security — is a noble one. But by going partway, authorizing transactions with signatures rather than four-digit codes, banks are watering down that security, at least for lost and stolen cards.

American Chartered was also the top M&A priority for MB Financial, which was willing to pay a healthy premium to get a deal done. MB Financial, which prefers big acquisitions, will be challenged to find other opportunities in the Windy City.

The Federal Housing Administration's annual financial report demonstrates the outsize influence of reverse mortgages on the performance of its insurance fund, fueling a debate about whether those loans belong there.

Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf — which plan to merge under the name "Diebold Nixdorf" — were already in the midst of major projects to digitize bank branches and retail stores before the pressure from mobile devices led them to join forces to keep pace with innovation.

Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf — which plan to merge under the name "Diebold Nixdorf" — were already in the midst of major projects to digitize bank branches and retail stores before the pressure from mobile devices led them to join forces to keep pace with innovation.

The proliferation of easy-to-use analytics tools has allowed community banks to do what used to take teams of quants to accomplish. Some are using it to get an edge in M&A, others are using it to improve efficiency.