Signature Bank (SBNY) in New York has added to its presence on Long Island by hiring a team of private-client bankers.

The Small Business Administration said Monday that agency-guaranteed loans to exporters rose about 1%, to $923 million, for the 12 months that ended Sept. 30. The loans supported $1.7 billion in small-business exports, according to the agency.

There needs to be stronger incentive for bankers to behave, far-reaching cultural changes spurred by directors and a unilateral commitment to stamp out money-laundering schemes.

Two proxy advisory services have recommended against a proposal for Hampden Bancorp in Springfield, Mass., to explore a possible sale.

Sterling Financial in Spokane, Wash., is buying American Heritage Holdings, the holding company of Borrego Springs Bank in La Mesa, Calif., for $6.5 million in cash.

Higher noninterest expenses and lower net interest income drove down Bank of Hawaii's quarterly earnings.

Three banks failed Friday – including two in Florida – and will cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. an estimated $86 million. Regulators seized the $200 million-asset Excel Bank in Sedalia, Mo.; the $159 million-asset GulfSouth Private Bank in Destin, Fla.; and the $67 million-asset First East Side Savings Bank in Tamarac, Fla.

First Financial Northwest in Renton, Wash., a $973 million-asset company, lost $791,000 in the third quarter, compared to net income of $1.4 million in the second quarter and profit of $623,000 a year earlier.

First Niagara, a Buffalo, N.Y., company, has grown significantly through recent acquisitions but now it wants to cut expenses. Management plans to then reinvest those funds in fee-generating businesses.

Federal regulators are reviewing banks' growth plans, particularly those that include third-party companies. To avoid excessive scrutiny, industry experts advise banks to proactively discuss such relationships with examiners.

Regulators have announced the winning bidder for assets of failed Tennessee Commerce Bank.

Borrowing by homeowners and improving credit quality boosted third-quarter profits at BancorpSouth (BXS) of Tupelo, Miss. The $13.2 billion-asset company said late Thursday that its earnings doubled, to $23.8 million, compared with a year earlier.

The director selection model for too many U.S. banks does not reflect the industry's risk profile realities of 2012.

The National Credit Union Administration has selected a former examiner to serve as the agency's next executive director, Chairman Debbie Matz announced Thursday.

First Niagara Financial Group's earnings slid during the third quarter because of a higher loan-loss provision and a securities sale.

Beneficial Mutual Bancorp (BNCL) in Philadelphia will separate the position of chairman from those of president and chief executive.

TCF Financial (TCB) in Wayzata, Minn., has delayed the release of its third-quarter results to give itself more time to review how it will implement regulatory guidance on consumer loans subject to bankruptcy discharge.

Independent Bank in Rockland, Mass., reported lower quarterly earnings after a series of "noncore" items largely dinged its bottom line.

A rein on expenses and a pickup in lending and fees propelled People's United Financial in the third quarter.

The acquisition of Rochdale Investment Management helped raise City National Corp.'s third-quarter income 44% from a year earlier to $59.8 million.