Despite aggressive efforts to stay alive, Midwest Bank and Trust was closed late Friday by Illinois regulators. The failure of the Chicago-area bank came on a night when the FDIC ...

NASHVILLE — For community bankers trying to figure out how they will make money going forward, the next six months are pivotal. That is the time to acknowledge and fix asset-quality problems and line up capital to finance expansion when the economy recovers.

Bryn Mawr Bank Corp. in Pennsylvania has announced plans to raise about $25 million in capital as it considers acquisitions.

Despite aggressive efforts to stay alive, Midwest Bank and Trust Co. was closed late Friday by Illinois regulators. The failure of the $3.2 billion-asset, Chicago-area bank came on a night when the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. also found buyers for three other institutions, bringing the year's failure total to 72.

Less than two months before new rules on overdraft protection take effect, early indications suggest banks won't suffer as big a blow to fee revenue as feared.

Less than two months before new rules on overdraft protection take effect, early indications suggest banks won't suffer as big a blow to fee revenue as feared.

The overwhelming 64-to-33 passage of an amendment to let the government regulate interchange fees on debit cards was a major blow to an industry that had successfully fought off such restrictions for years.

The overwhelming 64-to-33 passage of an amendment to let the government regulate interchange fees on debit cards was a major blow to an industry that had successfully fought off such restrictions for years.

Bank of Granite Corp. of Granite Falls, N.C., said last week that its bank unit is undercapitalized.

Cherokee Banking Co. of Canton, Ga., has reached an agreement with the Federal Reserve stipulating that it cannot declare dividends without prior approval from the central bank.

Harris Financial Corp. of Chicago, which acquired the failed Amcore Bank of Rockford, Ill., last month, said it is opening a private banking office in Rockford to be headed by an Amcore executive.

Midwest Banc Holdings Inc. painted a bleak picture of its future in its quarterly report filed Thursday. The $3.4 billion-asset company in Melrose Park, Ill., said in the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it does not expect to satisfy capital requirements spelled out in a prompt corrective action directive issued by regulators to its Midwest Bank & Trust Co. unit on March 31.

Continental Bank Holdings Inc. of Plymouth Meeting, Pa., announced Thursday that it has agreed to buy First Resource Bank of nearby Exton, Pa., for about $8 million.

Integra Bank Corp. of Evansville, Ind., reached an agreement with the Federal Reserve requiring it to secure approval before taking on debt or paying dividends.

Capitol Bancorp Ltd., which is trying to harvest capital by selling its unit banks, reported that it was undercapitalized by at least one measure at the end of the first quarter.

The amendment by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., has been steadily attracting support but was attacked this week by a range of groups, including community bankers and credit unions, who argued it threatens their ability to issue debit cards.

ShoreBank just might make it after all. A recapitalization plan for the embattled lender is coming together, with some of the country's largest banks — such as Citigroup Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bank of America Corp. — along with insurance companies and foundations working to try to prevent its failure, sources said.

"They are completely in the thrall of the American Bankers Association and the credit card companies," the Illinois Democrat told reporters at a Capitol Hill press conference.

Far from serving as the fall guy for the financial crisis, the central bank will emerge with its existing powers intact and enhanced authority over systemically risky companies if the current Senate bill becomes law.

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