Commercial banking

Though loan growth was soft in the second quarter, the Raleigh, North Carolina, regional bank is seeing some hope for a second-half pickup. Meanwhile, it benefited from a 2% gain in net interest income.

The Long Island-based company's second-quarter net loss was the seventh consecutive quarter in which it has reported a net loss. CEO Joseph Otting remained optimistic Friday about the bank's future, saying it should return to profitability in the fourth quarter.

Eagle Bancorp in Maryland took a major quarterly loss due to challenges in its office loan portfolio. It's one of many banks working to trim down their commercial real estate loan books.

The two Southeast banks agreed to combine in a transaction valued at $8.6 billion. Synovus CEO Kevin Blair would be chief executive of the combined bank, but a slim majority of board members would come from Pinnacle.

Flagstar Bank wants to merge its holding company into the bank, which would cut $15 million in annual expenses and eliminate regulatory oversight by the Federal Reserve, leaving the OCC as its primary regulator. The bank's CEO, Joseph Otting, is a former comptroller of the currency.

Among banks with between $10 billion and $50 billion of assets, those that targeted narrow lending markets rose to the top.

The Evansville, Indiana-based bank has hired Tim Burke to oversee commercial and community banking, along with wealth, credit and marketing.

The North Carolina-based regional bank still expects its revenue to outpace its spending this year, though if interest rates hold steady, it could "create some risk," a top executive said Friday.

Prosperity Bancshares announced plans to buy Corpus Christi-based American Bank Holding Corp. in an all-stock deal.

A new federal law that decouples health savings accounts from high-deductible insurance plans is expected to be a tailwind for the Connecticut bank's health care unit.