BankAtlantic Bancorp reported a smaller net loss in the fourth quarter as its loan-loss provision and net chargeoffs shrank from a year earlier.

Securian Financial Group of St. Paul, Minn., said Wednesday that it had received regulatory approval to write debt-protection contractual liability policies in Florida.

Carver Bancorp Inc. in New York is trying to raise its capital levels after receiving a cease-and-desist order from its regulator.

State Bank Corp. of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., cited credit costs and issues with deferred tax assets in posting a fourth-quarter loss of $2.9 million.

Peoples Bancorp Inc. of Marietta, Ohio, and Albina Community Bancorp in Portland, Ore., said their chief executives are leaving.

The Federal Reserve Board said it has reached a written agreement with BankVest Inc. of Castle Rock, Colo.

Some banking companies are chasing transformative acquisitions, but Wintrust Financial Corp. is perfectly comfortable growing block by block.

The Treasury Department expects to realize $25.6 million from its sale of warrants for common stock in Wintrust Financial Corp.

The $17.8 billion-asset company said Monday that it had reached a marketing agreement with Boston Celtics star Ray Allen, who also played at the University of Connecticut. Webster has a similar marketing deal with Jim Calhoun, who coached Allen in college.

After saving his Washington bank from failure through an ingenious bankruptcy strategy, Patrick Rusnak has been scooped up by an in-city competitor.

Pacific Capital Bancorp in Santa Barbara, Calif., earned $20.8 million in the fourth quarter in its first full quarter after a $500 million capital infusion.

Earnings at Community Bank Shares of Indiana Inc. increased 35.8% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, to $1.4 million.

Like their federal counterparts, the state commissioners are committed to ensuring banks operate prudently and customers are protected from abuses.

Bridge Bancorp in Bridgehampton, N.Y., said Tuesday that it has agreed to buy Hamptons State Bank of Southampton, N.Y., for $6.3 million.

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Renasant Corp. took a gamble six months ago, promising investors it would buy a failed bank with their money or they would get it back. The $4.3 billion-asset company in Tupelo, Miss., has surpassed that expectation.

Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin Inc. in Madison said it had managed to keep its thrift adequately capitalized at yearend. The $3.6 billion-asset company reported a $14 million fiscal third-quarter loss late Monday, narrowing its loss by 4% in the period that ended Dec. 31, from a year earlier.

Shares of Clifton Savings Bancorp Inc. in New Jersey tumbled a day after it said its regulator would not approve its second-step conversion.

Many bank chief executives are nearing retirement, and a big test will be finding their successors.

Heritage Financial Group Inc. in Albany, Ga., said Monday that it swung to a $922,000 profit in the fourth quarter from a $1.7 million loss a year earlier.