Nara Bancorp Inc. announced this week that it intends to raise $55 million in connection with its pending acquisition of Center Financial Corp. — a far cry from the $150 million it initially said it would need to seal the deal.

Fast-growing Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc. in Pittsfield, Mass., is expanding into Connecticut with a deal to acquire the Connecticut Bank and Trust Co. in Hartford for $30 million in cash and stock.

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NBT Bancorp Inc. in Norwich, N.Y., reported third-quarter net income of $15.2 million, up 4.4% from a year earlier, due largely to improved asset quality.

Shares of PrivateBancorp Inc. surged Tuesday following news that the Chicago company had more than doubled its third-quarter earnings from a year earlier as revenue increased and credit costs subsided.

BancorpSouth Inc.'s shares plunged Tuesday after the Tupelo, Miss., company reported an increase in problem loans and Moody's Corp. downgraded its credit rating.

In all the talk about new checking account fees and their impact on the financially underserved, there has been little focus on actual consumers. It is worth reminding ourselves who "they" are.

As profits return, more banks will take advantage of accounting rules that let them use tax deferred assets to pad the bottom line. Far from a gimmick, their use is considered a sign of banks' improving health.

Aided by solid loan growth, Chemical Financial Corp. in Midland, Mich., and Lakeland Financial Corp. in Warsaw, Ind., reported sharp increases in profits for the quarter that ended Sept. 30.

Acting FDIC Chairman Marty Gruenberg reiterated his agency's support for small banks, but many bankers are unsure if it will lead to real change.

Deposit gains hurt third-quarter profits at big banks such as Wells Fargo & Co., but they led to record profits at Signature Bank in New York.

FirstMerit Corp. in Akron, Ohio, reported third-quarter earnings of $31.7 million, up about 9% year over year, thanks to increased commercial lending activity and fewer problem assets. Earnings per share were rose 7%, to 29 cents, beating analysts' estimates by a penny, according to Thomson Reuters.

West Coast Bank in Lake Oswego, Ore., has been ordered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to improve oversight of its overdraft program and reimburse customers who incurred overdraft fees last year using their debit or ATM cards.

Can "Stop.Think.Connect" become the new "Stop, Drop and Roll"? The National Cyber Security Alliance, a public-private partnership on cyber security, says its new online-banking safety slogan is necessary to educate users.

In a bid to raise fresh capital, ailing Waccamaw Bankshares Inc. in Whiteville, N.C., is selling eight of its branches in North Carolina and three in South Carolina to rival First Bancorp in Troy, N.C.

Regions Financial Corp. swung to a third-quarter profit, helped by sharply reduced credit costs for risky loans, though the lender's top line weakened from a year earlier.

CIT Group Inc. swung to a third-quarter loss as the corporate lender continued to face steep costs related to its prepayment of high-cost debt.

1st United of Boca Raton struck two deals in three days that would move it into central Florida and give it 26 branches in the state.

Bankers spoke openly about their frustration with new regulations during the ABA's annual conference, with one likening it to being repeatedly punched in the head.

Second-guessers are "short-term" thinkers who underestimate the long-term value of the customer relationships the deposits bring, CEO John Stumpf says.