Banking

First Citizens Banc Corp in Sandusky, Ohio, is changing its name.

Associated Banc-Corp in Wisconsin reported a modest increase in quarterly earnings, and its CEO said it is actively seeking acquisition targets.

ServisFirst Bancshares in Birmingham, Ala., which went public last spring, reported a 27% increase in earnings, to $15 million, in the fourth quarter. It also announced plans to expand into South Carolina.

Independent Bank in Rockland, Mass., reported higher quarterly profits, on lower expenses and revenue increases.

Pinnacle Financial Partners posted strong fourth-quarter numbers thanks to loan growth centered around its Nashville and Knoxville markets in Tennessee.

Local bankers will try to pick up any business that could fall out as a result of the merger. And with one less bank to buy in Southern California, remaining franchises also may command scarcity value.

PacWest Bancorp in Los Angeles reported an increase in fourth-quarter profit, the second full quarter after its April acquisition of CapitalSource Bank, a commercial lender that targeted small and medium-sized businesses.

The $8 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing Thursday that David Hooston had returned to the company after a three-month leave to attend to personal family issues.

Capital One Financial posted a 17% rise in net income in the fourth quarter thanks largely to growth in its U.S. credit card business.

BB&T and KeyCorp's quarterly results showed how more diversified regional banks can turn to their insurance sales, investment banking and other fee generators for backup until interest rates improve. Whereas the smaller Huntington Bancshares needed strong loan growth in a quarter (and year) when fees fell.

Online marketplace lender OnDeck Capital has launched a new platform to better enable institutional investors to buy small business loans OnDeck originates.

Royal Bank of Canada sold its U.S. retail bank a few years ago to PNC. The company is back with a targeted play: City National, a Los Angeles bank that has built its business targeting the rich and working with Hollywood.

BankUnited in Miami Lakes, Fla., reported a drop in quarterly profits, as low yields weighed down the company's growing loan book and it faced some growth-related costs.

The consumer bureau and Maryland's AG allege the loan officers received consumer data and other services in return for business referrals.

Online marketplace lending platforms are filling real needs. But few banks participate in this booming niche, reflecting the industry's risk aversion and regulatory concerns as well as resistance to change.

Opus Bank in Irvine, Calif., has agreed to buy a pair of nonbanking businesses.

BB&T plans to add more than $20 billion in assets this year through three pending acquisitions. Management, which believes it should have no problem getting its deals approved, has started to improve how it monitors its liquidity capital ratio before new thresholds kick in.

Regulators have come to view macroprudential regulations as the guiding light of financial policy. But whether that strategy is working is open to debate.

Stephen Steinour, the head of Huntington Bancshares, cited strong projected growth in auto sales and an improving housing market as good signs for the Midwestern bank's fortunes in 2015.

For better or worse, banking is a balancing act these days.