After going five years without making an acquisition, Banner Corp. in Walla Walla, Wash., announced its second deal in a week Tuesday.

Like many banks its size, Potomac Bank of Virginia in Fairfax has found the competition for loans and deposits to be especially fierce in recent quarters.

Mutual thrifts relish their independence, but some are finding it increasingly difficult to go it alone. Since mid-July, four mergers between mutual thrifts have been announced in Massachusetts alone, including three in the past five weeks.

After years of pristine credit quality, banks throughout Florida are reporting higher levels of past-due loans as a result of the slowdown in the housing sector.

Merrimack Bancorp in Concord, N.H., said it has agreed to buy Bow Mills Bank and Trust in Bow, N.H., for about $22.5 million in cash.

After 17 years at the Louisiana Bankers Association, including the past seven as its chief executive, Peter Gwaltney is leaving the group.

First Place Financial Corp. in Warren, Ohio, announced Monday that it has agreed to buy seven branches in Michigan from Republic Bancorp Inc., which is selling them as a condition of its pending merger with Citizens Banking Corp.

Tempo Bank of Trenton, Ill., has applied to form a mutual holding company and sell 45% of its stock to the public.

CoBiz Inc. of Denver said it would take a $1.1 million charge this quarter after restructuring its investment portfolio.

New Hampshire Thrift Bancshares Inc. in Newport announced Friday that it had a deal to buy First Brandon Financial Corp. in Brandon, Vt., for about $21.2 million in cash and stock.

Flush with capital from its $95 million public offering last year, Legacy Bancorp Inc. in Pittsfield, Mass., is eyeing its first-ever retail expansion into neighboring states.

AUSTIN - Consolidation in Fort Worth has paved the way for Marquette Financial Cos.' return to traditional banking there.

Sandy Spring Bancorp of Olney, Md., said it would acquire the $145 million-asset CN Bancorp Inc. in Glen Burnie for $44.1 million in cash and stock.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said it was assessing Foster Bank of Chicago a $2 million civil money penalty for Bank Secrecy Act compliance problems.

In most states, debtors facing garnishment of their checking accounts must prove they have funds - such as Social Security or welfare checks - that are exempt from collection.

First Niagara Financial Group Inc. in Lockport, N.Y., is insisting that its recent management shake-up is not a sign that it is on the verge of a sale, but talk of one persists.

Union National Financial Corp. in Lancaster, Pa., is brewing up an experiment in retail banking.

Move over Elektra.

Oriental Financial Group Inc. announced a balance sheet repositioning Monday that will affect fourth-quarter earnings.

When Taylor Capital Group Inc. announced a management shuffle last month, it appeared to be demoting its longtime chairman and chief executive, Jeffrey W. Taylor.