Silicon Valley Bank said Thursday that it has received a key approval from a Chinese regulator to establish a joint venture bank in Shanghai.

Community banks must be as mindful of operational risk as their larger brethren. That was the message delivered at this year's Risk Management Association annual conference by Rick Parsons, who retired in August as an operational risk executive at Bank of America Corp.

Astoria Financial Corp.'s shares were down sharply at midday Thursday after the Lake Success, N.Y., lender reported a 48% drop in its third-quarter earnings.

The price First Financial paid to acquire Freestar is likely to encourage more prospective sellers.

Brookline Bancorp Inc.'s shares were down almost 6% Thursday morning after the company said it was delaying the release of its third-quarter earnings report.

First Niagara Financial Group Inc. on Thursday reported third-quarter earnings that were weighed down by more than $16 million in costs from closing former Harleysville National Corp. branches in Pennsylvania.

The two largest U.S. banks serving Chinese Americans — Cathay General Bancorp and East West Bancorp Inc. — both reported double-digit jumps in third-quarter profits. Each cited solid demand for commercial loans.

Washington Federal Inc. in Seattle said Thursday that profits in its fiscal-year fourth quarter nearly doubled from a year earlier as its volume of problem loans continued to shrink.

TCF Financial Corp. said Thursday that its third-quarter earnings declined 14% from the same period last year, to $31.7 million, due largely to a sharp drop in fees earned on deposit accounts.

Iberiabank Corp. has agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle claims the Lafayette, La., company illegally charged customers excessive overdraft fees.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League, known for its pewter-colored helmets and connection to privateers, has partnered with a local company that's been quickly growing through acquisitions.

M&T and Comerica defended the deal-related charges that hurt their third-quarter earnings, saying future fees and new business will make the costs a distant memory. PNC says its deals will pay off quickly, too.

Cardinal Financial Corp. in Tysons Corner, Va., on Wednesday said that third-quarter earnings rose 46% from a year earlier, to $8.6 million, due largely to improved credit trends and balance sheet growth.

Regulators are keeping a close eye on how smaller banks handle commercial lending and regulatory changes stemming from the Dodd-Frank Act, officials from various agencies told attendees at the Risk Management Association's annual conference.

New York Community Bancorp Inc. in Westbury, N.Y., on Wednesday reported that third-quarter earnings were virtually flat from a quarter earlier, at $119.8 million.

Stonegate Bank in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., said Wednesday that third-quarter earnings rose 73% from a year earlier, to $1.6 million, due to increased lending.

FNB United Corp.'s private-equity led buyout of a rival bank cleared another key hurdle after FNB's shareholders approved the acquisition of Bank of Granite Corp.

Popular Inc. in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Wednesday reported a decline in quarterly earnings due to fewer one-time gains and an increase it credit costs.

Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc. in Nashville, Tenn., reported a massive spike in third-quarter results due to the reversal of a deferred tax asset valuation.

Colony Bankcorp Inc. in Fitzgerald, Ga., eked out a third-quarter profit, though it also announced Wednesday that its president and chief executive had resigned.