Independent Bank Corp. has managed to persuade stubborn trust-preferred holders and the Treasury Department to become common shareholders — but those feats may turn out to be the easier pieces of its capital restoration plan.

Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin Inc. painted a grim picture of its finances this week. The $4.4 billion-asset company in Madison said Tuesday that it was considered undercapitalized by regulatory standards as of March 31.

MIDDLE ATLANTIC

The largest Korean-American and Chinese-American banks, clustered in Southern California, are successfully raising capital, surprising competitors with last-minute infusions even while some operate under regulatory orders.

Fueled by more than $400 million in capital, Bond Street pulled Miami's Premier American out of the rubble in January and leveraged it to make two other federally assisted deals, most recently grabbing the failed Peninsula Bank in Englewood last Friday.

Former Bank of America Corp. Vice Chairman R. Eugene Taylor has spent the past six months searching for a bank to buy — only to return to whence he came.

I like to ask folks to think of their least-positive customer interaction or sales call during the previous month. I suggest to them that even the most cringe-worthy of recent impressions can likely be (at least somewhat) salvaged the next time you interact with that person.

The $1.7 billion-asset company announced late Tuesday that North American Financial Holdings Inc., led by former Bank of America Corp. executive Eugene Taylor, would invest $175 million in the company so that it can shore up its undercapitalized bank unit.

Solera National Bancorp Inc. in Lakewood, Colo., is getting into the mortgage business on its own. The $137 million-asset company announced Tuesday that it has begun originating residential mortgage to its customers.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta announced Tuesday that OptimumBank Holdings Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has signed an agreement to maintain financial soundness.

Most bankers agree that online lending applications can attract customers and drive up volume, but few actually offer such services.

Community bankers have been thirsting for more merger and acquisition activity, and Eastern's announcement Tuesday that it has agreed to pay $163 million for Wainwright is the second-biggest proposed bank acquisition of the year.

Wainwright Bank & Trust Co. has agreed to be acquired for about $163 million — twice the company's previous value — by privately held Eastern Bank Corp., merging a pair of eastern Massachusetts lenders.

The Federal Reserve Board on Monday issued enforcement actions against two community banks in New York. According to separate agreements, the $2.4 billion-asset Smithtown Bancorp Inc. and the $393 million-asset BNB Financial Services Corp. will no longer be able to declare or pay dividends without prior approval from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

All is not well in "credit union land," as insiders half-jokingly call the industry, and the challenges have prevented credit unions from taking advantage of bank stumbles.

Sheyenne Bancorp Inc. is applying for bank holding company status from the Federal Reserve to buy out a bank in North Dakota. Sheyenne would become a subsidiary of First Holding Company of Park River Inc., which filed the application with the Federal Reserve June 22.

Despite analysts' skepticism, it appears Banner Corp. of Walla Walla, Wash., is advancing in its attempts to raise capital. The $4.6 billion-asset company announced late last week that it would sell 75 million shares of common stock at $2 a share.

After its long-running merger talks collapsed in March, Republic First Bancorp Inc. in Philadelphia today finds itself in a more fortunate position than many banks — it has a Plan B.

Fox Chase Bancorp Inc. is one step closer to completing its conversion from a mutual to a stock company. After the conversion is completed, which is expected on June 29, the banking subsidiary will have a new parent with 14.55 million shares of outstanding common stock.

Three more banks failed late Friday, at an estimated additional cost to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. of $285 million.