Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday that U.S. regulators don't want to harm community bankers still ailing from the financial crisis.

Bank buyers should run potential deals by regulators early to avoid "landmines" and speed applications, officials from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency say. Proper due diligence, succession planning and risk management are among the things they look for.

FirstBank in Lakewood, Colo., has announced plans to acquire a branch in Palm Desert, Calif., from El Paseo Bank.

Fee waivers on overdrafts, forbearance are just some options banks are offering to federal employees who could soon miss a paycheck or two.

The $785 million-asset Georgia Commerce has agreed to buy Brookhaven Bank, the two companies announced Tuesday. The price was not disclosed.

Given the importance and huge upside of success, the risk of disappointment in a firm's diversity and inclusion efforts must be continuously confronted and overcome.

SunTrust Banks Inc., Georgia's biggest lender, agreed to a $65 million settlement with Freddie Mac covering refunds for faulty mortgages.

A former executive at a Norfolk, Va., bank has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his role in the fraud that led to the bank's collapse.

The $18 billion-asset company said late Tuesday it has acquired certain assets and liabilities from Surety Financial Services in Sherman Oaks, Calif. The companies did not disclose the terms or specify the assets that were transferred.

The $2 billion-asset company said Tuesday that it had fully redeemed the $20.5 million in preferred shares issued through the program. Park Sterling funded the redemption with a payment from its bank.

Bridge Bancorp (BDGE) in Bridgehampton, N.Y., is planning to raise at least $25 million in a public stock offering to support its purchase of FNBNY Bancorp in Merrick, N.Y.

The $356.6 million-asset company issued 2.8 million shares of common stock to investors at a purchase price of $1.00 per share.

David Matson will serve on the board's asset and liability committee and on its newly created risk management committee, according to First BanCorp's Tuesday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

With nearly 140 banks and a forecast for sluggish growth in the next decade, the city should be primed for consolidation. One big problem: few bankers seem interested in selling.

The $656 million-asset company will sell up to $25 million of common stock in a public offering, according to a Monday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Federal Reserve Board has ordered Trinity Capital Corp. in Los Alamos, N.M., to improve its capital position.

August's reading provides more proof that the slowdown in mortgage activity is curbing overall growth in the banking industry.

National Bank Holdings Corp., a company formed in 2009 to buy failed banks, is planning to contract its branch network.

Giving the rest of our sales teams regular snapshots of factors that brought about star performances is far more useful than simply reporting who those star performers are.

New Century Bancorp in Dunn, N.C., has agreed to buy Select Bancorp in Greenville, N.C.