First Merchants (FRME) in Muncie, Ind., has issued $70 million in debt to pay off a loan from Bank of America (BAC).

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has amended its consent order with Broadway Financial's (BYFC) bank.

Monarch Community Bancorp (MCBF) in Coldwater, Mich., has finalized a plan to repurchase shares and warrants issued under the Troubled Asset Relief Program from the Treasury Department at a 55% discount.

Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida (SBCF) in Stuart has begun a public offering to fund its exit from the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

WSFS Financial (WSFS) Chief Executive Mark Turner has been picked to lead a Delaware business group.

To prove the value of the merger of Provident New York Bancorp and Sterling Bancorp, executives have to increase revenues at a much faster pace than expenses over the long haul, CEO Jack Kopnisky says.

Community banks sustained a 27% decline in mortgage banking income last quarter, confirming the laments of individual banks during earnings season. Some banks are getting creative to try to revive their business in coming quarters, but it will be tough.

The Senate Banking Committee dug into the details Tuesday of how to ensure that community banks retain access to a reformed housing finance system as agreement over a broad approach began to emerge.

Court referee Nancy Perez recommended that the Florida Supreme Court revoke David J. Stern's law license and order him to pay roughly $50,000 to cover the Florida Bar's legal costs, according to a report filed Oct. 30.

Quarterly profit rose 36% at BofI Holdings (BOFI) in San Diego, as the online bank's loan growth led to higher interest income.

Independence Bank in Newport Beach, Calif., has agreed to buy Premier Service Bank (PSBK) in Riverside.

Home Bancorp (HBCP) in Lafayette, La., has agreed to pay $34.5 million in cash for Britton & Koontz Capital (BKBK) in Natchez, Miss.

The $1 billion-asset company is looking to sell its branch in Ponte Vedra Beach for $3.5 million, the Jacksonville Business Journal reported Monday.

Activist investors continue to stir up community banking and M&A. ISS advised Hampden Bancorp shareholders to support an investor group that wants to push the thrift to sell itself, but Egan-Jones says the new CEO deserves more time.

The Treasury Department plans to auction seven more lenders' Troubled Asset Relief Program shares, with a total face value of about $90 million.

When it comes to saving, today's young Americans see themselves as more ant than grasshopper. That's the conclusion of a new survey from America Saves, a nonprofit that asked more than 1,000 Americans about their personal saving goals.

Consumer lending in September fell to its lowest point since early in the year, according to the latest American Banker Index of Banking Activity. Commercial lending provided a minor bright spot, but credit quality may be buckling amid intense competition.

National Bank Holdings Corp. (NBHC) in Greenwood Village, Colo., has bought back about $100 million worth of shares from an institutional investor.

Banesco USA in Coral Gables, Fla., reportedly received a $10 million investment from its shareholders during the third quarter.

Territorial Savings Bank in Honolulu plans to shed its federal charter and become a state-chartered savings bank.