A tiny Washington thrift targeting African-Americans has made a deal to open branches in Wal-Mart stores.

Sterling Bancshares Inc. in Houston said it has a deal to buy the $186 million-asset Partners Bank of Texas for $52 million in cash and stock.

Since Westsound Bank in Bremerton, Wash., was founded in 1999, its growth has mirrored that of the state's Kitsap Peninsula; as more people have fled the pricey Seattle market for the more affordable west side of Puget Sound, Westsound's assets have grown an average of 61% a year.

When Central Bancorp Inc. in Somerville, Mass., struck a deal in 2004 to buy out one of its largest investors at an above-market price, fund manager Anton V. Schutz fumed and called on regulators to investigate.

The fourth-largest banking company in Spain has struck its first-ever bank deal in the United States — and it could be scouting for more.

AUSTIN — Three years after entering Texas, MidSouth Bancorp of Lafayette, La., plans to more than double its branch network with a big push in Houston.

A small South Carolina banking company is moving its headquarters from a rural setting to a more urban one to raise its profile with investors.

Coast Financial Holdings Inc. of Bradenton, Fla., said late Wednesday that it has hired the investment bank Sandler O'Neill & Partners LP to help the $676 million-asset company review its strategic options.

MIDWEST

WGNB Corp. of Carrollton, Ga., announced plans Tuesday to acquire the $205 million-asset First Haralson Corp. in Buchanan for $46.3 million in cash and stock.

The decision by Sun Bancorp Inc.'s board to part ways with chief executive Thomas A. Bracken had Wall Street debating both the progress of the company's turnaround effort and its future as an independent company.

Provident Financial Holdings Inc. in Riverside, Calif., reported a substantial drop in earnings, in part because of problem construction loans.

First Merit Corp. in Akron reported Tuesday that fourth-quarter earnings fell 78% from the same quarter a year earlier, to $6.1 million.

HMN Financial Inc. of Rochester, Minn., said fourth-quarter earnings fell 23% from the same quarter in 2005, to $2.7 million.

Wintrust Financial Corp., of Lake Forest, Ill., announced that its fourth-quarter earnings fell 20% from a year earlier, to $15 million.

BankUnited Financial Corp. in Coral Gables, Fla., announced Monday that earnings for its fiscal first quarter, which ended Dec. 31, increased 69% from a year earlier, to $27.4 million.

Northwest Bancorp Inc. in Warren, Pa., said Monday that its fourth-quarter earnings fell nearly 34% from a year earlier, to $9.8 million.