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.

CommunityOne in Asheboro, N.C., went from the brink of failure to a model of recovery in a few years. But it took new management, private-equity money, an acquisition and an accounting ace in the hole to get it done.

The Federal Reserve Board has unanimously approved acquisitions by Hana Financial Group in Seoul, Korea, and Live Oak Bancshares in Wilmington, N.C.

1st Constitution Bancorp in Cranbury, N.J., has agreed to acquire Rumson-Fair Haven Bank and Trust Co. in Rumson, N.J.

Mercantile Bank announced a deal Thursday that would make it the third-largest bank based in Michigan.

U.S. Century in Florida, one of the largest undercapitalized banks in the U.S., is trying to sell a controlling interest to an investment group. But shareholders who have sued the bank favor another group's buyout offer, and they tried to get the judge to force the bank to reconsider.

VantageSouth Bancshares (VSB) in Raleigh, N.C., has sold $38.1 million in subordinated debt.

First Community (FCCO) in Lexington, S.C., has agreed to buy Savannah River Financial in Augusta, Ga.

The struggling Anchor (ABCW) in Madison has commitments of $175 million of fresh capital, but creditor Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC) refused to sign off on the deal, according to bankruptcy court documents. Anchor then filed for Chapter 11 to facilitate it recapitalization.

Banks recently had been competing for loans mainly on price. Now, with loan growth anemic, banks are competing on loan structure, doing everything from extending amortization periods to waiving prepayment fees.

The Jefferson City, Mo., company had a profit of $1.5 million, or 30 cents a share. It reported earnings of $48,000, or one cent per share, during the same period last year.

First Mariner Bancorp (FMAR) in Baltimore swung to a loss as professional fees rose and mortgage banking income cratered.

Auto loans to the least creditworthy borrowers have rebounded, but they are still below the levels reached in the early- and mid-2000s, the New York Fed finds.

Cardinal Financial (CFNL) of McLean, Va., has promoted William T. "Bill" Mundy, an executive at its banking unit, to senior vice president and executive managing director of wealth services.