As financial institutions across the country confront mounting piles of repossessed properties, Sovereign Bank in Dallas is using an unusual strategy to clear its inventory and clean up its balance sheet.

To the Editor:

Chris Bauer, who took the helm last month at Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin, has a plan to shore up the listing Madison company, but acknowledges he may not have enough time to execute it.

Federal banking regulators have reached an agreement with Amboy Bancorp. through which the New Jersey bank has pledged to take actions aimed at strengthening its capital position.

Lee Bradley, who has spent much of the last two decades raising start-up capital for banks, is turning his energies to recapitalizing them.

The uber-capitalized Iberiabank Corp. may soon have a way to put its extra cash to work.

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The struggling Irwin Financial Corp. is selling branches and loans to buy time as it negotiates with the government to come to its rescue.

The ailing Temecula Valley Bancorp Inc. has lost its lifeline.

With the Bank of Lincolnwood's demise last month, Illinois briefly tied Georgia for the dubious distinction of having the most bank failures this year.

NB&T Financial Group Inc. in Wilmington, Ohio, has agreed to buy Community National Corp. in Franklin for $6.8 million in cash and stock.

There are a couple of slides that I use in presentations that seem to be getting more head nods than usual these days. My suspicion is that the increased internal and external stress that branch teams are feeling makes these particular subjects hit home.

Southern Community Financial Corp. in Winston-Salem, N.C., warned Tuesday that its provision for loan losses would increase to $6 million in the second quarter because of accelerated chargeoffs.

A thrift would become part of a commercial bank under a stock deal two New Jersey companies announced Tuesday.

If successful, Guaranty Financial Group Inc.'s bid for open bank assistance could pique the interest of private-equity firms in other ailing companies — but that's a big if.

Habersham Bancorp in Cornelia, Ga., said Monday that its bank unit has entered into a cease-and-desist order with the Department of Banking and Finance.

Joshua Siegel has been busy lately. The managing principal of StoneCastle Partners LLC hosted a daylong workshop in New York this month on how private-equity firms can find and acquire community banks. Last month he gave pointers to 50 Pennsylvania state bank examiners on analyzing risk at banks.

Guaranty Financial Group Inc. in Austin said Monday that it expects to fail unless the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. takes the rare step of assisting the $14.4 billion-asset company with a deal.