Sterling Bancshares Inc.'s decision to overhaul its credit approval policies is paying off.

Whitney Holding Corp. in New Orleans said Tuesday that its first-quarter net income rose 2.5% from a year earlier, to $37 million.

Sun Bancorp Inc.'s efficiency drive is starting to show up in its bottom line, and the Vineland, N.J., company aims to maintain the momentum with more aggressive cost cutting.

UMB Financial Corp. of Kansas City, Mo., said first-quarter earnings rose 31% from a year earlier, to $17.3 million.

Trustmark Corp. in Jackson, Miss., says it is looking to improve earnings by tightening its belt.

Like several other Michigan banking companies, Independent Bank Corp. in Ionia is attributing a steep drop in first-quarter profits in large part to the state's sluggish economy.

Texas Rep. Helen Giddings said that when she became a victim of identity theft — a box of her checks was stolen in 2004 — it took her close to a year to straighten out her finances.

Pennsylvania Commerce Bancorp Inc. in Harrisburg said Friday that its first-quarter profits plummeted 45% from a year earlier, to $1.1 million, largely as a result of increased expenses.

Shares of Sterling Financial Corp. of Lancaster, Pa., held up well Friday, falling just 0.2%, after the company said late Thursday that possible contract irregularities at an equipment leasing subsidiary would delay its first-quarter earnings report.

An otherwise banner day for the stock markets was painful for Hanmi Financial Corp. of Los Angeles and Capitol Bancorp Ltd. of Lansing, Mich.

Prosperity Bancshares Inc. in Houston said first-quarter earnings rose 57% from a year earlier, to a record $20 million.

When consumers apply for home loans, credit bureaus often sell their information to other lenders, which might call the prospective borrowers with competing offers.

Chittenden Corp. in Burlington, Vt., said its first-quarter earnings slipped 1% from a year earlier, to $20 million, because of a slowdown in economic activity and intense competition.

1st Trust Bank for Savings in Memphis has long been mistaken for other banks, and no wonder: 20 others in the Memphis metropolitan statistical area have the words First or Trust in their name, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Small agricultural banks are maintaining a steady rate of growth, despite the challenging interest rate environment and tough competition from large banks and nonbank lenders.

MIDWEST

Cascade Bancorp in Bend, Ore., has been a darling of investors for years, but lately it has fallen out of favor.

Virginia Commerce Bancorp Inc. said Tuesday that strong loan growth powered it to record first-quarter earnings of $6.5 million, up 13.3% from a year earlier.

CHICAGO — Is the banking market here ripe for consolidation?

FNB Financial Services Corp. of Greensboro, N.C., said first-quarter earnings dropped 70%, to $697,000, because of a spike in nonperforming loans.