Most of us buy into the thinking that the slow pace of bank M&A is a bad thing. But, unless you are an investment banker or a lawyer who advises on deals, there are a lot of benefits to measured consolidation, some industry observers say.

A year and a half after reserve releases emerged as a saving grace for bank earnings, allowance reductions accelerated early this year and accounted for perhaps 14% of the industry’s net income.

Privatebancorp (PVTB) in Chicago is in no rush to boost its dividend, preferring instead to use any excess capital to grow earning assets and invest in new products.

The final price Grandpoint Capital would pay for National Bank of California depends on the seller's loan losses, expenses over two years and other contingencies.

Warren Buffett likes community newspapers and he likes big banks. So, why not community banks, too? Analysts discuss the pros and cons of Berkshire Hathaway investing in community banks.

Grandpoint Capital announced late Monday that it is buying NCAL Bancorp, the holding company for the National Bank of California, a $341 million-asset bank with five branches in southern California.

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The Treasury has commenced another auction of Tarp holdings. At least banks are planning to use the auction as an opportunity to retire preferred shares that will carry a 9% interest rate in late 2003.

RENO, Nev. — Members of Sparks City Employees FCU approved the merger of their ailing one-time $16 million credit union into Great Basin FCU, the state's eighth-largest credit union.

The New York firm, formed 50 years ago, survived a tragic setback during the terrorist attacks of 2001.

The Treasury Department began to sell stakes it holds in seven banks that received bailout funds at the height of the financial crisis, continuing the slow process of winding down the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

The California company announced the opening of its first full-service U.K. branch a day after a key British official lamented in a column that European banks lack the capacity to help the nation's businesses grow.

Words like "oppressive" and "harsh" have been replace recently by terms like "fair" and "cooperative" in bankers' descriptions of how examiners are treating them. Thanks to go mostly to the improved condition of many institutions.

Georgetown Bancorp in Massachusetts has snagged two JPMorgan Chase (JPM) bankers for its mortgage origination team.

TriCo Bancshares (TCBK) of Chico, Calif., has named a former Countrywide Bank executive as its chief risk officer.

Continental Bank Holdings of Plymouth Meeting, Pa., has raised $16.5 million through a private placement.

In a rare do-over, members of Montana First CU are being asked again to approve the merger of the state's oldest credit union into Washington's Horizon CU in nearby Spokane Valley, a combination rejected by the membership in January.

The California company has a growing international operation due to its focus on venture capital and technology companies.

Regulators shuttered four banks Friday evening — totaling $676 million of assets — that combined are estimated to cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. about $80 million.

In interviews with two dozen bankers, regulators and outside experts, most point to a significant improvement between how bankers and examiners interact.