With profits rising to a "post-crisis high," the FDIC says loan balances fell in the first quarter. But with banks selling off loans and balances affected by seasonal factors, the direction of lending growth is unclear.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Corporate One FCU said this afternoon that members of Florida's Southeast Corporate FCU have approved the combination of the two, creating one of the biggest corporates in the country with $5 billion in assets.

Nearly a year after calling off a stock sale that would have sharply diluted the value of its shares, Independent Bank in Ionia, Mich., said it would instead raise capital by selling off a batch of branches.

Prices garnered prior to the crisis have little in common with what banks are worth today or what they will likely be worth in the future. Yet boards and managers remain irrationally fixated on outdated, irrelevant valuations.

Cardinal Bankshares' yearlong battle with an activist investor ended with a deadlocked board, an ousted chairman and a lot of uncertainty. The biggest challenge for all parties is determining who is in charge.

Intermountain Community Bancorp had hoped to raise up to $8.7 million from existing shareholders, but the Sandpoint, Idaho, company only got 40% of the way there.

The Federal Reserve Board has posted a video reminding borrowers that they may be eligible for compensation if they were harmed by the foreclosure process in 2009 or 2010.

Howard Bancorp in Ellicott City, Md., is looking to raise up to $12.8 million through a combined stock sale and private placement and it intends to use at least some of the proceeds to pursue acquisitions.

The Federal Reserve has ordered Britton & Koontz Capital to obtain the regulator’s approval before making a number of strategic moves.

First Bancorp (FBNC) in Troy, N.C., surprised investors by announcing that it would replace its president and CEO, Jerry Ocheltree, with Richard Moore, a former chairman of the North Carolina State Banking Commission. Ocheltree will remain president of the company's bank.

The Virginia company had been fighting efforts by Schaller Equity Partners to win up to five seats on the board.

Investors are now willing to put money into community lenders with credible business plans, sufficient scale, and executives who show "courage" and "fortitude," says Greg Mitchell, CEO of First PacTrust.

QNB Bank in Quakertown, Pa., announced Tuesday that its longtime chief executive is retiring at the end of this year and that its board has elected the bank’s president to succeed him.

The Virginia company will have a retooled ownership, a new director and more capital after a private placement and rights offering. While Hampton Roads' private equity investors will own 90% of the company following those moves, early indications are that those companies are content with management's progress purging bad loans and cutting costs.

Northeast Community Bancorp (NECB) in White Plains, N.Y., is opening a fourth branch in Massachusetts as part of its continued expansion in the suburbs surrounding Boston.

The Federal Reserve has lifted a written agreement with Guaranty Bancorp and its bank, which could free the Denver company to retire some of its more costly debt.

Many bank buyers will stay on the sidelines until Dodd-Frank rules are written and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's agenda is clearer, industry experts say.

Umpqua Holdings (UMPQ) in Portland, Ore., continues to ramp up in commercial real estate lending at a time when many other banks are shying away from the sector.

Robin Zager has spent more than a decade on a bank board in New Jersey. Earlier this week, she discussed why there is a lack of female directors and how she handles being a part of a male-dominated board.

Three prominent private-equity groups that already own significant stakes in Hampton Roads Bankshares (HMPR) have agreed to pump another $50 million into the Norfolk, Va., company.