Unprecedented regulatory demands and competition require banks to continue innovating and diversifying, says Aubrey Patterson, the Tupelo, Miss.-based company's longtime CEO, in a wide-ranging interview.

Washington Federal (WAFD) in Seattle has sold $2.4 billion of fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities and prepaid $876 million in long-term debt.

Seeking to increase its visibility in northern California, American River Bankshares (AMRB) in Sacramento has combined its three separately named banks under the name of its flagship brand.

Mutual thrift execs are having second thoughts about going public as dissident investors mount increasingly aggressive attacks on management. Critics charge the investors with gaming the system.

Western Liberty Bancorp (WLBC) was built to buy — but now it has decided to sell.

The Treasury Department plans next week to auction preferred shares in five banks that received a combined $84 million from the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Kentucky First Federal Bancorp said Friday that Tony Whitaker will step down as its CEO and as the president and CEO of its two thrifts.

Spirit of Texas Bank SSB in College Station said Friday that it is buying the $77 million-asset Oasis Bank in Houston.

Mutual thrifts looking to convert to publicly traded companies run the risk of increased pressure from activist investors. While the conversion process alone makes it easier for dissidents to accumulate shares, some observers say mutuals are also suffering from lax enforcement of rules designed to protect them.

Two businessmen, including a former Wachovia banker, were sentenced to federal prison for a $3 million bank fraud Thursday.

The management of 1st Constitution (FCCY) in Cranbury, N.J., is planning to raise up to $7 million through a rights offering.

From Paul Ryan on Volcker to Julie Williams leaving the OCC, Washington managed to dominate banking news during a week when it's traditionally a ghost town.

Eight months after abandoning plans to sell itself, BankUnited (BKU) in Miami Lakes, Fla., is once again weighing offers from potential buyers, the New York Post reported Friday.

It took the Denver company nearly a year to complete its purchase of a rival twice its size. The deal, which required raising capital to buffer against the seller's credit issues and complete a Tarp repayment, illustrates the difficulty of making small but ambitious acquisitions.

We don't need and shouldn't have one-size-fits-all regulatory policies. Community banks are different from their larger U.S. counterparts.

The Federal Reserve Board has entered into a written agreement with PNBK Sponsor that requires the Stamford, Conn., company to serve as a source of strength to its bank.

Ellie Mae's survey found that community banks still have some concerns about regulation and compliance costs. Still, they expect that a decline in competition could be good for overall business.

Shares of United Bancorp (UBCP) fell sharply Thursday after the Martins Ferry, Ohio, company announced that it was cutting its quarterly dividend in half in order to preserve capital.

Old National Bancorp (ONB) in Evansville, Ind., will sell or close 27 branches as part of ongoing efforts to cut costs.