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.

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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.

Capitol Bancorp in Lansing, Mich., announced Wednesday that it has hired Clinton D. Dunn as a regional president to help the $3.7 billion-asset company grow in Texas.

MIDWEST

Some banks pay hefty prices for the naming rights to sports stadiums. Renasant Corp. in Tupelo, Miss., is attaching its handle to a much different enterprise.

First Internet Bancorp plans to acquire the $65.7 million-asset Landmark Financial Corp. of Indianapolis for $12 million in cash.

Wainwright Bank and Trust Co. in Boston is known for its socially progressive philosophy: It has two new "green" branches, lends money to homeless shelters, and targets the gay community.

Just four days after closing its first acquisition, the $764 million-asset Bancshares of Florida Inc. said it is scooping up another rival.

Mercantile Bancorp Inc. of Quincy, Ill., plans to spend $12.4 million to build a new headquarters in its hometown for its largest subsidiary, Mercantile Trust and Savings Bank.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines said its second-quarter earnings rose 4.2% from the first quarter, to $22.2 million.

M&T Bank Corp. of Buffalo, which recently bought 21 Citibank branches, has identified five branches it will close to eliminate overlap.