Bankers must resist the urge to obsess over the hassles of QM and other new rules, says Jeff Plagge, the new chairman of the American Bankers Association and CEO of Northwest Financial in Iowa. Doing so distracts them from adequately serving customers and contributing to economic growth, he says.

Arrow Financial (AROW) in Glens Falls, N.Y., attributed a dip in third-quarter profits to the continued low interest rate environment.

First Niagara Financial Group (FNFG) in Buffalo, N.Y., has promoted executive John Golding to senior director of small-business banking.

Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida (SBCF) is shifting to a more heavily stock-based payment structure for its directors.

Metro Bancorp in Harrisburg, Pa., beat quarterly earnings estimates as its loan book posted strong growth.

Old Second National (OSBC) in Aurora, Ill., has been released from a 2011 consent order issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Enforcement actions relating to anti-money laundering rules and the Bank Secrecy Act were a prominent theme in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's monthly round-up of orders issued from late August through September.

Investors Bancorp (ISBC) in Short Hills, N.J., has added to its board a longtime New York banker with deep roots in Brooklyn.

SBT Bancorp (SBTB) in Simsbury, Conn., has hired David MacKenzie as its chief mortgage and consumer lending officer.

Multiples are stronger in historical terms than many bankers assume, buyers' stock prices are going up and banks need to get to $25 billion of assets to thrive, says David Olson of River Branch Holdings.

SunTrust still wants to lower its efficiency ratio to 60%, but a mortgage slowdown and legal costs tied to alleged lending violations is making that goal harder to achieve.

Northeastern banks First Niagara and People's United are reluctantly cutting rates to book more loans and, in some instances, turning business away.

F.N.B. Corp. (FNB) in Hermitage, Pa., beat earnings estimates on strong net interest income.

In an advisory, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. urged banks to be mindful of gaps in liability coverage for director and officer lawsuits – the same lawsuits the FDIC is filing against failed-bank managers.

The New York firm has historically avoided investing in acquisition-minded banks, preferring low-key institutions with good leaders and plans for making solid loans.

Silicon Valley Bank is sponsoring workshops on both coasts to teach computer programming skills to middle school and high school students.

First Horizon National (FHN) in Memphis swung to a big loss in the third quarter after reaching an agreement to repurchase soured loans from Fannie Mae, it announced Friday.

The holding companies of Park Cities Bank in Dallas, Tex., have filed for bankruptcy in order to facilitate the recapitalization and purchase of the bank by Park Cities Financial Group.

Banks of all sizes are looking to ramp up wealth management operations as other businesses sputter. Along with the promise of high fee income come high risks-including the regulatory and reputational varieties. American Banker editors discuss.

Aided by strong loan growth and improved credit quality, Simmons First (SFNC) in Pine Bluff, Ark., said that its third-quarter profit climbed 12% from the same period last year, to $7.4 million. Earnings per share climbed 13%, to 45 cents, beating the estimates of analysts polled by Bloomberg by 4 cents.