Severn Bancorp in Annapolis, Md., has agreements in place to raise $11 million through a private placement of common stock.

Beneficial Bancorp in Philadelphia is planning to eliminate 11% of its workforce over the next three months.

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WASHINGTON — The House passed a bill 247-171 on Thursday that would raise the threshold for a Federal Reserve Board exemption that helps banks raise Tier 1 capital.

Community Bank in Pasadena, Calif., has promoted from within to fill the positions of president and chief banking officer.

David Bohne was the president of a big, successful bank until he took a year off to clear his head. When he was ready to return, he looked at banks across the country but found what he needed in a small, family-run institution right in his hometown.

Washington Federal in Seattle said its profit rose 3.4% to $41.7 million in the three months that ended March 31 as loan growth outweighed higher information technology costs.

West Shore Bank Corp. in Ludington, Mich., has agreed to buy West Michigan Bank & Trust in Frankfort.

FHFA Director Mel Watt acknowledged that the principal reduction program may seem "too small and too late."

PacWest Bancorp in Los Angeles reported higher quarterly profit led by its acquisition of Square 1 Financial in Durham, N.C.

The hardest part of converting a thrift is establishing a "culture of high performance" and shareholder accountability, says Andrew Samuel, CEO at Sunshine Bancorp, in Plant City, Fla. Sunshine converted to a stock-owned company in July 2014.

A month after introducing the Express Business Loan for its customers, Eastern Bank in Boston says it is in talks with several banks across the U.S. to license the product.

Mutual of Omaha Bank and an affiliate of PlainsCapital Bank in Dallas have partnered to sell residential mortgages.

To date, only a handful of banks have become benefit corporations, but experts believe the number could rise as regulators become more comfortable with the concept.

Financial Institutions in Warsaw, N.Y., has offered an olive branch to resolve a proxy battle with an activist investor.

Noah Bank in in Elkins Park, Pa., has sued NOA Bank in Duluth, Ga., in a dispute between two Korean-American banks over trademarks and competitive intelligence.

Profits soared at Bank of the Ozarks in Little Rock, Ark., thanks primarily to its expanding loan portfolio.

Long-term worries, short-term worries, the broader economy and more. Community bankers see lots of obstacles to earnings growth this year, according to a recent survey of 250 small-bank executives conducted by Vining Sparks.

The banking industry, in the face of prolonged challenges, is relying on professional help to improve in areas such as productivity, hiring and M&A. The hope is that being introspective now will limit the amount of costly mistakes in the future.

The number of seriously delinquent mortgages reached its lowest level in over eight years, helped by new job creation and higher wages, according to CoreLogic.