The combination of Mercantile and Firstbank is expected to break the bank M&A logjam in Michigan. The combined company will be on the lookout for more deals, executives say.

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In a move aimed at reducing its cost of funds, Eastern Virginia Bankshares (EVBS) is retiring debt owed to the Federal Home Loan Bank System.

Zions Bancorp. (ZION) has promoted an executive in its real estate division to executive vice president and chief credit officer.

The Mississippi companies have received all the necessary approvals and expect to finalize the deal Sept. 1, they announced Friday.

Doral Financial in Puerto Rico is aiming its philanthropic work at women entrepreneurs to improve the fortunes of its community and its own.

Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin has settled fraud charges brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with one of its 2009 quarterly reports.

The demise of PerkStreet, a startup that offered generous cash back on debit card purchases, illustrates how the business is changing. Interchange-funded rewards are out; merchant-funded perks are in.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp is keeping busy on her August recess, talking housing finance reform and meeting with community bankers in her home state of North Dakota.

Coastal Banking Co. (CBCO) in Beaufort, S.C., swung to a profit in the second quarter, aided mightily by an accounting reversal.

Regulators have lifted an enforcement action against Eastern National Bank in Miami, according to a report.

Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin (ABCW) reported a large quarterly loss just days after announcing a plan to file for bankruptcy and recapitalize itself.

Enterprise Financial Services Corp. (EFSC) in St. Louis converted $20 million of trust-preferred securities to common stock, a move that will reduce its borrowing costs and improve its capital position.

Pacific Mercantile Bancorp (PMBC) in Costa Mesa, Calif., has hired an executive from SVB Financial Group (SIVB) to lead a niche lending unit.

Cullen/Frost Bankers, led by Dick Evans, is breaking into oil-rich west Texas with a deal for WNB Bancshares. The seller was attractive partly because it resembled Cullen/Frost, Evans says.

Northwest Bancshares (NWBI) in Warren, Pa., has launched a service to help customers track royalties earned on gas and oil leases.

Naugatuck Savings in Connecticut is rebranding itself "Ion Bank" because it wants to expand into other markets. CEO Chuck Boulier warns others considering a name change that it takes a lot of time and expense.

Community banks need help. Bigger banks can provide them a lifeline. But it comes with a cost: the loss of bankers who understand the local community.

The Federal Reserve Board has terminated enforcement actions with Marquette Financial in Minneapolis and Bank of Virginia in Midlothian.

Royal Bancshares of Pennsylvania (RBPAA) in Narberth recorded a second-quarter loss that it attributed to the cost of settling two long-standing legal issues.