Recent reform legislation coupled with heightened enforcement ferver has given rise to concerns that increased regulatory costs, both implicit and explicit, will make it difficult for small community banks to continue operating and may force them to sell or seek strategic mergers.

Sabadell United Bank has completed its merger with TransAtlantic Bank, making it the fourth-largest Florida bank based in Miami-Dade County.

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Crisis lesson No. 1: Don't wait to hold your company's first-ever conference call with investors until a few days after your stock plummeted.

F.N.B. Corp. has agreed to acquire Comm Bancorp for $70 million of cash and stock as part of the company's expansion efforts into the eastern part of the Keystone State.

A gust of stock offerings is expected this fall from community banks, some bracing for heightened capital standards, others seeking to repay government capital and a few chasing acquisitions.

A Northwest thrift that acquired a failed bank just seven months ago has entered into a memorandum of understanding with federal regulators.

In an attempt to ensure quality service, improve monitoring, anticipate the need for adjustments and take full advantage of upgrades to image-enabled machines, the 650,000-member credit union has licensed an ATM management product from NCR Corp. that provides online operational information, performance measurements and inventory analysis.

Perhaps the greatest argument for ending the de facto moratorium on new bank charters is that the credit they would provide to Main Street would help revitalize the real economy and in so doing may improve loan values at legacy banks.

Illinois' failure tally for 2010 continued to grow late Friday with the closure of $265 million-asset Ravenswood Bank.

WASHINGTON — Illinois' failure tally for 2010 continued to grow late Friday with the closure of $265 million-asset Ravenswood Bank.

Summit Financial Group Inc. in Moorefield, W.Va., said Friday that it narrowed its second-quarter loss 14.5% from a year earlier.

Territorial Bancorp Inc. of Honolulu posted a 43.5% increase in second-quarter net income from a year earlier, to $3.2 million.

With dwindling capital and a plan to buy an ancillary business, United Western Bancorp's capital-raising plans are of particular importance to analysts following the company.

With dwindling capital and a plan to buy an ancillary business, United Western Bancorp Inc.'s capital-raising plans are of particular importance to analysts following the company.

When Sterling Financial Corp. in Spokane, Wash., merged its two bank units last week, few may have noticed, but many community bankers could relate. Companies that cannot get their hands on fresh capital are scrambling for a Plan B these days.

When Sterling Financial Corp. in Spokane, Wash., merged its two bank units last week, few may have noticed, but many community bankers could relate. Companies that cannot get their hands on fresh capital are scrambling for a Plan B these days.

Consumers Credit Union in Waukegan, Ill., has joined the list of financial services companies using Fiserv Inc.'s Acumen account processing software.

Heritage Oaks Bancorp in Paso Robles, Calif., reported a net second-quarter loss of $5.8 million, compared with net income of $507,000 a year earlier.