Fulton Financial said the directors of its $2 billion-asset The Bank in Mt. Laurel and its $1.37 Skylands Community Bank in Chester have agreed to merge.

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HF Financial Corp. in Sioux Falls, S.D., said Tuesday that it expects to revise its results for its fiscal year that ended June 30 downward by $500,000 to $1 million to reflect downgrades in its agriculture portfolio.

Community banks in New York City are building loan books by snagging small to midsize companies overlooked by big retail-focused rivals.

At a Senate hearing, community bankers express concern that rules designed to address flaws in the securitization process will harm their more traditional mortgage operations.

There are few topics as easy to get into a friendly, if a bit heated, debate these days as "the future of branches" in banking. Many folks quickly compare branches to buggy whip factories and traditional bankers to Luddites. Others jump in and cite research or survey results that say customers still prefer to open accounts in branches, and that, by the way, branches are still profitable.

Pacific Western Bank in Los Angeles has hired Linda Nahra, the former chief executive at Community West Bank in Goleta, Calif., as a regional president.

FNB United in Asheboro, N.C., has finished raising the $310 million of capital it needs to move forward with its plan to acquire another North Carolina bank.

Hampton Roads Bankshares Inc. in Norfolk, Va., has sold its insurance business as part of its ongoing effort to reduce overhead and streamline operations.

Finally, a milestone that bankers can be (slightly) proud of: more banks made money in the second quarter than in any other quarter over the past five years, according to Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc.'s quarterly wrap-up of bank earnings released Tuesday.

Richard Lashley, an activist investor known for pressuring underperforming banks to find buyers, has won a seat on the board of BCSB Bancorp Inc. in Baltimore.

Even as tight ties between regulators and the regulated are blamed for the housing collapse, former FHA chief David Stevens shows the Washington revolving door is in full swing.

Old National Bancorp's purchase of Integra Bank, its largest competition, is not your usual FDIC failed bank deal, and could be considered subtraction by addition.

In a flat-fee model, most of the innovative energy goes into reducing costs rather than developing services that customers value.

John F. Novak, chief executive of Millennium Bankshares Corp. in Sterling, Va., is expected to step down at the end of this month.

The Buffalo bank worked too hard during the crisis years to put its efforts "in harm's way," Koelmel said.

Premier Financial Corp. in Huntington, W.Va., has received permission from the Federal Reserve Board to once again start paying down its debt to the U.S. Treasury Department.

An aggressive push by the Justice Department to investigate fair lending claims is prompting a backlash from bankers who claim the government is abusing its authority.

Buffalo bank's deal for 195 HSBC branches will require raising capital, divesting and integrating technology. Execs insist it’s all manageable.

An activist investor at Cardinal Bankshares Corp. in Floyd, Va., is protesting the company's latest executive hire.