Beacon Federal in East Syracuse, N.Y., is using its old ties to the credit union industry to fuel its growth.

Nexity Financial Corp. of Birmingham, Ala., has mapped out an ambitious expansion plan in its quest to become a multibillion-asset company.

A rapid rise in foreclosure filings in the Brockton, Mass., area has inspired a partnership of credit unions, banks, and nonprofit lenders to help borrowers in danger of foreclosure restructure their loans with more affordable, fixed rates.

Consumers probably do not perform searches for both "credit unions" and "taxes" often on Google.com, but if they do, the Massachusetts Bankers Association wants them to get a banker's perspective on the topic.

Centrue Financial Corp. of Fairview Heights, Ill., has picked up four commercial real estate lenders from National City Corp. of Cleveland.

EvergreenBancorp Inc. in Seattle is planning to raise $10 million in a secondary offering to open branches, buy banks, or both.

Susquehanna Bank in Lititz, Pa., has hired a former Lancaster County treasurer to help it attract more business from municipalities, school boards, and government agencies.

HF Financial Corp. in Sioux Falls, S.D., has struck two deals with Great Western Bank of Watertown, S.D., that would ultimately leave the parent of Home Federal Bank with fewer branches but a fatter mortgage servicing portfolio.

Community Banks Inc. in Harrisburg, Pa., has a deal to buy Bucs Federal Bank in Owings Mills, Md., for $22.6 million in cash and stock.

United Community Banks Inc. in Blairsville, Ga., has agreed to buy the $329 million-asset Southern Bancorp. Inc. of Marietta, Ga., for $66.5 million in stock.

Sun Bancorp Inc. in Vineland, N.J., has hired a JPMorgan Chase & Co. executive to help improve its retail performance.

BancorpSouth Inc. of Tupelo, Miss., has entered Florida by opening a full-service branch in Destin nearly four months after buying a banking charter there.

Bank of Wilmington in North Carolina is renaming itself Cape Fear Bank to reflect its recent expansion outside its hometown.

SI Financial Group Inc. in Willimantic, Conn., has a deal to buy Fairfield Financial Mortgage Inc. in Danbury.

American Bank Inc. of Allentown, Pa., said Friday that it could have a “significant” after-tax gain of up to $1.82 million, or 30 cents a share, once PSB Bancorp Inc. is sold to Conestoga Bancorp.

Banking trade groups have already gone on record criticizing the National Credit Union Administration's proposed regulation on credit union conversions.

Atlantic Coast Federal Corp. said its board approved plans to buy back up to 478,000 shares, or roughly 10% of its outstanding common stock.

Richard A. Elko does not waste time.

For more information on this data, visit Novantas LLC and Market Rates Insight.

Open architecture - pitching other companies' products alongside or instead of one's own - has become standard practice for banks in lines like investment and insurance products.