Women need to stop stressing out about giving equal attention to personal and professional goals, Teresa Taylor writes in her latest book. Taylor, a director at First Interstate BancSystem, also advises women to be more aggressive with networking if they want to sit on more corporate boards.

Legal experts are becoming increasingly concerned that federal judges are questioning the right of a lender of secondary creditor to bid the full value of claims in Chapter 11 cases. For banks looking at bankruptcy, this development provides more encouragement to settle with certain debtholders before seeking legal protection.

The National Credit Union Administration has approved the sale of Flint River National Bank in Camilla, Ga., to Five Star Credit Union in Dothan, Ala.

Solera National Bancorp (SLRK) lost its proxy battle at the ballot box, though the Lakewood, Colo., company still hopes it can win in the courtroom.

Financial Institutions (FISI) in Warsaw, N.Y. has agreed to buy Scott Danahy Naylon, an insurance agency in Amherst, N.Y.

Seacoast Commerce Bank (SCCB) in San Diego has opened a new loan production office in Boise, in an effort to extend its Small Business Administration lending business to Idaho and eastern Washington.

Much has been made of how Basel III requirements have dulled banks' appetite for mortgage servicing rights, but a handful of institutions are buying within regulatory limits.

The Arkansas company has been aggressive this year, agreeing to buy banks with a total of $3.4 billion in assets. The buying spree is partially driven by a currency lifted by a bankruptcy deal Simmons First completed last year.

United Bank in Zebulon, Ga., has agreed to acquire Monroe County Bank in Forsyth, Ga.

FirstBank in Lakewood, Colo., has opened a new branch in Denver's newly renovated Union Station building.

United Bank of Glastonbury, Conn., has hired three experienced former Bank of America mortgage bankers in West Springfield, Mass.

Simmons First National (SFNC) in Pine Bluff, Ark., has agreed to buy Liberty Bancshares in Springfield, Mo.

First Horizon National (FHN) in Memphis, Tenn., has agreed to buy 13 branches from Bank of America (BAC).

A consolidated exam force could give state regulators access to federal resources without undermining the dual banking system.

Poage Bankshares (PBSK) has fended off a proxy challenge from activist investor Joseph Stilwell.

Solera National in Colorado went through a messy proxy fight with its biggest shareholder. The contest prompted the company's OCC examiner to ask for an invitation to the meeting.

California Bank of Commerce (CABC) in Lafayette plans to raise $12 million through a secondary offering.

Young banking customers are more interested in online banking than their older peers, according to a report from financial services consulting group Accenture.

WSECU, a credit union that has replaced tellers with universal agents, offers a case study in how to sell the concept to employees.

Several banks have thrived on failed-bank acquisitions since the financial crisis. Here are the most active shoppers, in terms of the number of failures they have bid on, based on data from SNL Financial.