Washington Banking Co. started a public offering of at least $30 million of its common stock as the small northwest Washington company looks to boost its capital levels.

People's United Financial Inc. in Bridgeport, Conn., has been fanning expectations of a bank acquisition for years. Monday's deal, however, wasn't it.

The National Credit Union Administration assigned Kent Buckham — who was moved aside as chief corporate credit union examiner amid last year's implosion of two such institutions — to be the first director of its Office of Consumer Protection.

People's United Financial Inc. agreed to acquire Financial Federal Corp. in a stock and cash deal valued at about $738 million, increasing its presence in the equipment-finance sector.

Regulators closed Commerce Bank of Southwest Florida Friday, the Sunshine State's third failure in a week.

With its bank unit low on capital, PremierWest Bancorp in Medford, Ore., is planning to raise up to $36 million in a rights offering.

Bank of Florida in Naples, which is under regulatory pressure to raise capital, has postponed a $135 million stock offering, saying market conditions have deteriorated.

When it comes to pristine loan portfolios, Malaga Financial is among the truly elite. It had zero nonperforming loans at the end of the third quarter, a distinction shared by only 6.5% of banks and thrifts nationwide.

Hanmi Financial Corp. has filed a shelf registration to raise up to $200 million.

Georgia Bancshares Inc. in Peachtree City said Thursday that it had lost $1.9 million in the third quarter, bringing its loss for first nine months of the year to $7.6 million.

Imperial Capital Bancorp, which must raise $218 million of capital quickly to satisfy regulators, is talking with several potential investors, Joe Kiley, its president and chief executive officer, said in a brief interview Thursday.

A private-equity firm's deal to buy the struggling Greater Atlantic Financial Corp. in Reston, Va., is getting more time to close.

Banks and bankers have got to make every effort to restore the industry's reputation. There is no silver bullet to accomplish this, but here are some steps that would help.

Westamerica Bancorp. bought back the remaining preferred shares sold to the Treasury Department in February, becoming the latest banking company to redeem its funding under the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

In a bid to get its bank unit adequately capitalized, Horizon Bancorp. Inc. in Bradenton, Fla., is trying to raise $5 million in a private placement of convertible preferred stock.

NEW ENGLAND

A new group formed to buy failing banks plans to use its recent deal for tiny, well-capitalized Palisades National Bank as a springboard for further acquisitions.

CFS Bancorp in Munster, Ind., is exploring its strategic options, including the possibility of selling itself.

SVB Financial Group in Santa Clara, Calif., says it plans to raise $300 million in a sale of common stock and use most of the proceeds to repay all of its government-issued capital.

In what would be the biggest purchase of bank branches by a credit union, Royal Credit Union said it had agreed to buy 11 offices from the troubled Anchor BanCorp.