In the battle over the potential negative effects for community banks from the Dodd-Frank Act, it all comes down to the Durbin amendment.

Four banks based in the state have agreed to sell since December, when Hancock Holding of Gulfport, Miss., said it would buy Whitney, a New Orleans stalwart.

The national interest is not served by policymakers' hatching yet another bad idea for how to keep millions of people in homes they can't afford.

Empower Federal Credit Union of Syracuse, N.Y., is using a secure document signing technology from Integrated Media Management.

West Coast Bancorp in Lake Oswego, Ore., said Tuesday that it has hired a former Umpqua Holdings Corp. executive as its corporate compliance manager.

BankAtlantic Bancorp Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said in its annual report that mounting legal problems could have an adverse effect on its financial results.

Superior Bancorp in Birmingham, Ala., said it must continue to delay filing its 2010 report with the Securities and Exchange Commission until it addresses issues with certain appraisals.

BCB Bancorp Inc. in Bayonne, N.J., said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire Allegiance Community Bank in South Orange, N.J.

Judge Lawrence Piersol of the U.S. District Court for South Dakota has denied the government's motion to dismiss TCF Financial's lawsuit over debit fee regulation.

For thrifts that have long harbored ambitions of converting to commercial banks, an upcoming regulatory merger is forcing hard decisions.

First Niagara Financial Group Inc. in Buffalo, N.Y., has hired a former Wells Fargo & Co. executive to oversee its New England expansion.

Loan demand for credit unions declined in February for the sixth month in a row and has fallen more than 2.2% over the past year, the Credit Union National Association reported Monday.

First National Bankers Bankshares Inc. in Baton Rouge, La., said late Friday that it consolidated its four banks along the Gulf Coast.

MidSouth Bancorp Inc. in Lafayette, La., plans to enter the Dallas market after agreeing to buy five area branches from a bank being sold through bankruptcy court.

Colony Financial in Los Angeles plans to sell common stock in a public offering that could raise up to $284 million.

Old Line Bancshares in Bowie, Md., said Friday it has completed its acquisition of Maryland Bancorp in Lexington Park.

The board of Commonwealth Business Bank in Los Angeles said Friday it did not renew the employment contract of the bank's chief executive.

First Financial Holding has 90 days to provide the Fed with a written plan to improve oversight of risk management and anti-money-laundering compliance.