Capital Bank Financial, a Miami company formed two years ago to buy distressed banks in the Southeast, has struck a deal to acquire Southern Community Financial (SCMF) in Winston-Salem, N.C., for $48.4 million.

No one can ever accuse Steve Huston of being a heartless banker. Huston, the owner of Bankwest Financial in Rockford, Minn., resuscitated Dr. Frank Anderson during a pickup basketball game in January, a local Fox News affiliate reported last week.

The other morning I was at the counter of the local UPS store notarizing a document when I was shocked by a comment by a woman standing nearby. This nationwide franchise provides post office boxes, packing, shipping, copying and many other individual and business-related services through 4,700 convenient small corner or mini-mall stores. My head snapped as she told the clerk, "I would like to make a deposit." At first I thought she was making a deposit for a purchase or on a bill or perhaps depositing a package of goods for shipping.

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BankAtlantic Bancorp (BBX) said in a regulatory filing that it will change its name to BBX Capital as part of its deal to sell its thrift to BB&T (BBT) in Winston-Salem, N.C.

An institutional investor at Broadway Financial (BYFC) has agreed to swap its preferred shares for common stock to help the Los Angeles company attract more capital.

Regulators have lifted an informal agreement with the banking unit of MainSource Financial Group (MSFG) in Greensburg, Ind.

At least three serial consolidators are positioning themselves for more deals should the right opportunity arise. SCBT and Iberiabank filed shelf registrations this month, while Wintrust raised $127 million.

BancTrust Financial Group in Mobile has put itself on the block, and as many as a half dozen banks could pursue it. The bidding process could foretell a lot about the appetite for small, complex deals everywhere.

First Banks of Clayton, Mo., is exiting Florida roughly four years after it entered the state with the acquisition of the troubled Coast Financial Holdings.

Unobtrusive until now, a set of unrelated security requirements is about to become pretty unpopular, and costly.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NCUA this morning liquidated tiny Shepherd's FCU, a year-old community development credit union, in the latest sign of the difficulties facing small credit unions.

Alabama's BancTrust Financial has abandoned a bid to raise private equity funds. As bank-acquirers circle, a deal could say a lot about the state of M&A.

In what would be just the second acquisition in its 49-year-history, FNB Bancorp in South San Francisco has struck a deal to buy Oceanic Bank Holding in San Francisco.

In its first-ever auction of preferred stock acquired through TARP, Treasury is seeking to sell stakes in Banner Corp. (BANR) of Walla Walla, Wash., First Financial Holdings (FFCH) of Charleston, S.C.; MainSource Financial (MSFG) of Greensburg, Ind.; Seacoast Banking (SBCF) of Stuart, Fla.; Wilshire Bancorp (WIBC) of Los Angeles; and WSFS Financial (WSFS) of Wilmington, Del.

Southern National Bancorp of Virginia (SONA) has received a warning from the Nasdaq that the McLean company is not in compliance with listing requirements after it failed to file an annual report.

Cross County Federal Savings Bank in Middle Village, N.Y., is converting to a state charter from a federal charter.

Banks with less than $1 billion in capital are essentially locked out of the private equity market, due to existing laws such as the Bank Holding Company Act. A group of investment bankers, lawyers, and even some regulators want to make changes.

State regulators closed two banks on Friday, bringing the year's tally to 15. The two failures, in Georgia and Illinois, are expected to cost the Deposit Insurance Fund $ 95.6 million.

I am sad to see Cam Fine of the Independent Community Bankers of America resort personal attacks on me and my firm in response to my comment, "TAG Actually Gives Big Banks the Advantage." I can imagine that my comment stung a bit, but Cam and all of the people at ICBA know that I am one of the most vocal advocates for community banks in the U.S. Indeed, our firm is focusing a great deal of time and effort to help small banks raise capital and compete with the too-big-to-fail banks.