The Westbury, N.Y., bank has sought a large deal to vault well over the $50 billion-asset threshold. But with no transformational deal in sight, it is now willing to pass that asset milestone through a small acquisition or organic growth.

The $17.6 billion-asset company's fourth-quarter earnings fell 36% from a year earlier, to $18.5 million.

Bankers think the regulatory environment is bad already, but it could get worse as regulators crack down harder on rules violators, hold directors and foreign banks to stricter standards and tackle "too big to fail," a top banking lawyer says.

Trustmark (TRMK) in Jackson, Miss., reported net income that missed Wall Street estimates, largely because of a drop in fee income.

Four shareholders of BankUnited (BKU) in Miami Lakes, Fla., plan to sell up to $291 million of common stock.

Helping people understand personal finances and empowering them to make better financial decisions ensures a better future for consumers, communities and our nation.

Iberiabank Corp. (IBKC) of Lafayette, La., reported higher quarterly earnings due to improved credit quality.

Crazy Woman Creek Bancorp (CRZY) in Buffalo, Wyo., is planning to convert to a state charter and repurchase preferred stock it issued to the Treasury Department under the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

It's still unclear what New York's planned "BitLicense" actually is, but the New York Department of Financial Services says its license is meant to encourage Bitcoin businesses to operate and innovate in the state.

UMB Financial (UMBF) in Kansas City, Mo., reported a big jump in profits as the company benefited from loan growth and a rise in fee income.

Lynn Harton, formerly president of The South Financial Group before it was sold several years ago, was promoted to president of United Community Bank in Georgia this week.

New York Community Bancorp (NYCB) in Westbury, N.Y., reported a dip in fourth-quarter profit as mortgage banking revenue fell, but it still but still beat analysts' expectations.

Hudson City Bancorp, the target of the biggest pending bank takeover in the U.S., said it's planning to reduce interest rate risks and that the effort will produce an unspecified loss.

BOK Financial (BOKF) in Tulsa, Okla., reported lower quarterly earnings after mortgage banking revenue fell.

National Penn Bancshares (NPBC) in Boyertown, Pa., has bought back about $75.4 million of shares from the private-equity firm Warburg Pincus.

Ameriana Bancorp (ASBI) in New Castle, Ind., has announced several executive changes prompted by the pending retirement of Chief Risk Officer Timothy Clark.

A study from Moebs Services, scheduled for release on Wednesday, found that from Jan. 2-10 median overdraft prices in suburban towns and small cities were surveyed at $30, compared to $29 in large cities and rural areas.

First Merchants Corporation (FRME) in Muncie, Ind., reported net income Tuesday of $11.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2013, a 10.7% increase from same period in 2012.

Jeanne Hulit, the acting head of the Small Business Administration, is leaving Washington behind to join Northeast Bank in Lewiston, Maine, as the president of its Northeast community banking division.

Bankers feel more optimistic about their business as crisis memories fade, and more open-minded about M&A as deal prices rise, but concerns about compliance challenges and regulators' tough reviews of merger applications are keeping their enthusiasm in check.