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.

With the introduction of Wag bank, Jeff Stephens is trying to create a direct bank for pet lovers — a concept that failed 10 years ago in different hands. Wag, the bank for dog owners, is the first of what Stephens plans as a series of niche banks focused on affinity groups.

M&T Bank Corp.'s third-quarter earnings fell 4.6% on merger-related charges as the regional bank continued to reduce the amount of loans written off.

Rockwall Bancshares Inc., a Texas startup, has hired Eric Anderson as its chief executive. He had been an executive with American National Bank of Texas.

Elouise Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet tribe who founded the first Native-American-owned bank and later was the lead plaintiff in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the federal government, died Sunday at 65 of complications from cancer.

Renasant Corp. in Tupelo, Miss., said its third-quarter earnings rose 13.5% from a quarter earlier, to $6.5 million, after the company recorded $5 million in securities gains.

Fulton Financial reported third-quarter results that were slightly better than expected as its loan-loss provision continued to decline, beating the average analysts estimate by a penny.

Driven by improved loan demand, ServisFirst Bancshares Inc. in Birmingham, Ala., reported Monday that its third-quarter income rose 25% from a year earlier, to $6 million.

During testimony on Capitol Hill, the Treasury secretary faces criticism from members of both parties over a slow-moving, smaller-than-expected initiative to boost lending to small businesses.

Rockwall Bancshares Inc., a Texas-based start-up, has hired Eric Anderson as its chief executive officer.

Despite substantial gains in fee income, Arrow Financial Corp. in Glens Falls, N.Y., said Tuesday that its third-quarter profit fell slightly from a year earlier due to weakening demand for home and auto loans and a penalty it incurred for prepaying Federal Home Loan Bank advances.

Attacks on European ATMs were 69% in the first half of this year, compared to last year. On the bright side, card skimming is on the wane.