Shares of Commerce Bancshares Inc. were down sharply midday Thursday after the Kansas City, Mo., company reported earnings that fell short of analysts' estimates and warned that new rules limiting debit-card fees could take a bite out of fourth-quarter profits.

So 10 lawyers and an investment banker got together in a room at AmericanWest … No, it's not a joke. They helped revitalize a troubled bank and now have an award from the Turnaround Management Association to prove it.

Wells Fargo & Co. has bolstered its mergers and acquisitions group with the hiring of two new managing directors.

Bank of the Ozarks Inc. reported income totaling $83.8 million for the nine months that ended Sept. 30, representing an almost 78% increase from the same period in 2010.

TowneBank in Suffolk, Va., is buying a Raleigh, N.C., insurance agency and merging it into its insurance subsidiary.

As credit unions seek to grab a bigger share of deposits, State Employees' CU has become the first credit union to publicly disclose its confidential financial condition as determined by regulators–its CAMEL code.

American Momentum Bank is committed to buying Brazos Valley Bank in College Station, Texas, though it swapped out its application with the Federal Reserve.

ATBancorp in Dubuque has agreed to invest an initial $10 million in United American Bank in San Mateo and will receive warrants to the acquire the bank's 2.5 million shares, at 30 cents each, over the next five years.

Savannah Bancorp Inc. in Georgia said earlier this week that its bank had entered into a written agreement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency that reflects an "elevated level" of classified assets.

ECB Bancorp Inc. in Engelhard, N.C., said Thursday that its shareholders had approved several proposals that were needed for the company's $80 million private placement.

WASHINGTON — Credit unions appear to be facing an uphill battle in their ongoing effort to pass legislation that would double their cap on business lending.

PayPal is putting itself at nearly every possible point of a consumer's banking relationship – from account-opening to payments and even reward-redemption – through a series of new partnerships.

An ongoing tug-of-war between compensation and regulation has spread to retirement packages at community banks after a Michigan company opted to withhold about half of a payout to a retiring executive until an outstanding enforcement action is lifted.

The $47 million price tag could rise or fall depending on fluctuations in the Illinois community bank's tangible book value. It's another sign of how parties to bank deals are trying to protect themselves in uncertain economic times.

Sabal Financial Group L.P. of Newport Beach, Calif., has acquired a $153 million portfolio of loans located in some of the hardest hit regions of the United States.

The president of a small Atlanta-based bank testified to Congress on Wednesday that the derivatives provisions in the Dodd-Frank Act could hinder the bank's ability to manage risk and serve its clients.

Century Bancorp Inc. in Medford, Mass., said Tuesday that its third-quarter earnings rose about 40% compared to a year earlier, to almost $4.6 million, due to loan growth and a special gain.

United Community Banks Inc. in Blairsville, Ga., said it will record a special loan-loss provision of $25 million for the third quarter due to concerns over collateral associated with its largest loan relationship.

Park National Corp. in Newark, Ohio, said Tuesday that it had found a material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting, tied to its use of a third-party contractor.

Park Bancorp Inc. in Chicago said Tuesday that it had hired an investment bank to help it explore its strategic options, including a possible sale.