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

Cathay General Bancorp (CATY) in Los Angeles has finished buying back the shares it issued to the Treasury Department under the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

The $483 million-asset company issued 370,000 shares of common stock to a prominent financial institution investor, according to a press release Monday. The investor was not named in the release.

Regulators and financial firms must listen to each other and work together to protect the interests of customers and stakeholders. Only then, will they be able to build a safe and sound financial system.

The banking regulators will remain open in the event of a government shutdown, but the ongoing fiscal battle in Congress could still have significant implications for the financial services industry.

The state has reached a settlement with five payday lenders under which they would be prevented from collecting on certain loans and pay restitution to customers, Eric Schneiderman's office announced Monday.

Solera National Bancorp in Lakewood, Colo., has ended a months-long search for a new leader.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took action against three banks in August and released one bank from a consent order.

The threat of Basel III-related dividend restrictions could make it harder for the more than 2,000 banks with S corporation tax status to attract investors. S Corp banks were already on the decline.

CommunityOne Bancorp in Charlotte, N.C., has been freed from the threat of prosecution for allegedly ignoring a $40 million Ponzi scheme run by a customer.

The chairman of City National Corp. in Los Angeles is passing the role to his son.

Bridge Bancorp in Bridgehampton, N.Y., has agreed to buy FNBNY Bancorp in Merrick, N.Y.

Lewis Jones, Kenneth Knuckles and Colvin Grannum will join Carver's board on Tuesday, the $634 million-asset company said in a press release Friday.

Cynthia Merkle has joined the $2.5 billion-asset mutual as executive vice president and COO, it announced Friday.

Mooney is joining AT&T’s (NYSE:T) board of directors, the telecommunications company announced Friday. She will sit on the corporate development and finance committee.

The $840 million-asset company will take a third-quarter charge of about $10 million on the sale of the loans, which have a book value of $33 million, it said.

The third quarter was marked by fewer but bigger deals. Higher prices could keep volume in check as sellers hold out for more. The fiscal showdown in Washington and related market swings could also complicate the balance of the year.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin in Madison has completed a $175 million recapitalization. With funding from private and institutional investors, the company has capital levels above the threshold regulators consider for being well-capitalized.

Lenders should be on the lookout for an increase in mortgage applicants who lie about their incomes, according a new quarterly report from CoreLogic.