Landmark Bancorp Inc. in Manhattan, Kan., is buying Wellsville Bancshares Inc. in what would be its first bank acquisition in more than six years.

Weakened growth prospects and more regulatory hoops could prompt private equity firms to unload bank holdings.

BancorpSouth Inc. in Tupelo, Miss., on Tuesday reported better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter and hopes to parlay the good news into a successful capital-raising effort.

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Fulton Financial Corp. said its fourth-quarter profit rose from a year ago as it reduced nonperforming loans, but that its earnings per share missed analysts' estimates by two cents as net interest income shrunk.

The president and chief executive of First South Bancorp Inc. in Washington, N.C., is stepping down after more than three decades as its leader.

The Federal Reserve Board has ordered Southwest Florida Community Bancorp Inc. to maintain its health so that it can serve as a source of strength for its ailing bank subsidiary, First Community Bank of Southwest Florida in Fort Myers.

Strong loan growth combined with a surge in wealth management assets powered First Republic Bank in San Francisco to a $90.7 million profit in the fourth quarter, up 19% from the same period in 2010.

Dozens of small banks in California remain under enforcement actions, leading some industry observers to predict an impending wave of regulator-led consolidation.

Recent increases in bank stock values and the investment bank's success last year make William Hickey "guardedly optimistic," he says.

Mercantile Bank Corp. in Grand Rapids, Mich., has now made money in four straight quarters and its auditors seem convinced that it will remain profitable for the foreseeable future.

Mariner Real Estate Management, a Kansas real estate investment and management firm, has acquired a 25% stake in a loan portfolio totaling about $101 million from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Riverview Bancorp in Vancouver, Wash., is projecting a loss of up to $5.6 million in the quarter that ended Dec. 30 after determining that five previously performing real estate loans are now considered to be impaired.

Wintrust Financial Corp. in Lake Forest, Ill., has agreed to buy the trust operations of Suburban Bank & Trust Co. in Elmhurst, Ill.

Despite questions over his legal authority, the new director of the consumer bureau holds crucial voting power on safety and soundness rules as a member of the FDIC board of directors.

Growth in commercial and industrial loans accelerated to a torrid 18% annual rate in the fourth quarter, Fed estimates indicate. Total loan growth fell to a 3.5% rate, however, as a slowdown at big banks was only partially offset by a pickup at small banks.

First Niagara Financial Group CEO John Koelmel discusses his deal to sell 37 branches in New York to KeyCorp, his plans to sell more branches and his argument that its bigger deal with HSBC will pay off.

Shares of the thinly traded First California Financial Group Inc. soared Friday after it was disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that the wealthy owners of the Minnesota Twins baseball club have acquired a large stake in the banking company and are pushing for its sale.

New data show that banks that sold large sales to dispose of nonperforming assets have seen stock price gains that surpass other banking companies. The approach still has a fair share of opponents who prefer to work out the assets over time.