Sovereign Bancshares Inc. of Dallas has agreed to buy Jefferson Bank of Texas, also of Dallas, for $20 million to $30 million in cash and stock.

ValueBank Texas in Corpus Christi is trying to woo younger retail customers by offering as many Internet services as possible.

Jose A. Infante’s defection from Community Shores Bank Corp. to a rival banking company has heated up competition in western Michigan.

Lawrence Savings Bank in North Andover, Mass., is starting a makeover by changing the name it has had for nearly 140 years.

ShoreBank Corp., known largely for serving Chicago's inner-city neighborhoods, is expanding into the suburbs.

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

Nationwide Financial Services Inc. is looking to make a big splash into retail banking by buying the credit union that serves its employees.

Frustrated by what they consider unequal treatment, credit unions are agitating for representation on Federal Home Loan bank boards.

Pennsylvania became the main battleground over credit union taxation last week when the state's Supreme Court agreed to review a challenge to the tax exemption for credit unions there.

First Banks Inc. in St. Louis announced Thursday that it has a deal to acquire TeamCo Inc., of Oak Lawn, Ill., for $13.9 million in cash.

Two southern California community banks that have wanted to expand but could not afford meaningful acquisitions are merging as equals.

Ron Stapp went to the Underbanked Financial Services Forum in Chicago last week to learn more about how his bank could offer remittance services to immigrants.

MIDWEST

Chickasaw Banc Holding Co. in Oklahoma City has filed an application with the Federal Reserve Board to acquire AllNations Bancorp. Inc. of Calumet, Okla.

A new 50-year mortgage from Provident Savings Bank in Riverside, Calif., has been a hit with homebuyers, but some competitors dismiss it as a marketing gimmick and say they have no plans to offer it.

Regions Financial Corp.'s acquisition of AmSouth Bancorp could open a door for Alabama banks to scoop up talent and gain market share, bankers and analysts say.

After a smoother-than-expected assimilation of a California bank last year, MetroCorp Bancshares Inc. of Houston is looking for more acquisitions.

STAR Financial Bank in Fort Wayne, Ind., had done well for itself making loans through the Small Business Administration, but things really took off after it signed up with the popular SBA Express.

Experts predict that the already swift rate of conversions to Subchapter S corporations could accelerate as banks move to take advantage of looser federal laws.