First Banks Inc. of St. Louis, reported earnings Thursday of $29 million for the first quarter, up 31% from the same quarter last year. Diluted earnings per share were also up 31%, to $1,202.46.

First Commonwealth Financial Corp. of Indiana, Pa., announced Thursday that it would buy Laurel Capital Group Inc. of Allison Park for $57.5 million.

MainSource Financial Group of Greensburg, Ind., has agreed to buy five Indiana branches from First Financial Bancorp of Hamilton, Ohio.

The 11-year-old Appalachian Bancshares Inc. in Ellijay, Ga., plans to expand out of state for the first time, into North Carolina and Tennessee.

BankAtlantic Bancorp Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., reported first-quarter earnings of $6.7 million, down 66% from the same quarter last year. Diluted earnings per share were 11 cents, down 65%, and 2 cents below analysts' expectations.

First Bancorp of Indiana in Evansville has a deal to buy Home Building Bancorp Inc. in Washington, Ind., for $11.3 million in cash and stock.

AUSTIN — How Gov. Rick Perry’s tax plan would affect banks depends largely on their asset mix, their real estate holdings, and where and with whom they are doing business.

The $3.4 billion-asset BancFirst Corp. of Oklahoma City is buying the $44 million-asset First Bartlesville Bank of Bartlesville, Okla.

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Community banks are cashing in on the commercial real estate boom in more ways than one.

New York Community Bancorp Inc. offered three versions of its first-quarter earnings, but all were below what it earned in the quarter a year earlier.

SOUTHEAST

Integra Bank Corp. chairman, chief executive, and president Michael T. Vea credits his company’s turnaround in part to an incentive program that gives employees bonuses for bringing in quality loans.

Alliance Financial Corp. of Syracuse, N.Y., has agreed to buy Bridge Street Financial Inc. of Oswego for $55 million in cash and stock.

Matrix Bancorp Inc. in Denver continues to shed business lines that do not fit its newfound focus on community banking.

Prosperity Bancshares Inc. of Houston received a pair of upgrades for closing its largest banking acquisition earlier than anticipated.

First Financial Bancorp of Hamilton, Ohio, said it plans to lay off 200 employees and close 12 branches this year as part of a restructuring plan announced in February.

Houston Start-Up Will Focus on Small Businesses

In 1986, The Bankers Bank opened its first office in Atlanta and began serving banks across Georgia.