Rabobank Group had no choice but to hold its tongue as its deal for a large Farm Credit System lender was unraveling in late 2004, but the Dutch banking giant is no longer keeping its opinions to itself.

Robert L. Johnson's plan to acquire an ailing, one-branch thrift in Orlando and build it into the nation's largest black-owned banking company would create a formidable competitor for the handful of other companies that harbor similar ambitions.

Nara Bancorp Inc. named its chief operating officer as its interim president, and a former California bank commissioner as a director.

In an ordinary year the Louisiana Bankers Association might lobby for a dozen or so bills during the state legislative session.

Park National Corp. of Newark, Ohio, is eyeing an expansion into neighboring Kentucky.

After years of planning and discussion, 12 credit unions affiliated with the insurance giant State Farm have applied with federal regulators to merge into a single credit union.

AmericasBank in Towson, Md., has raised $11 million in a secondary offering and moved its stock's listing from the OTC Bulletin Board to the Nasdaq.

North Fork Bancorp. Inc.'s deal with Capital One Financial Corp. had a predictable effect on New York-area banking companies Monday: sharp rallies in shares of names frequently mentioned as possible sellers.

Loan demand is showing no signs of abating in fast-growing western markets, where bankers say their challenge is to attract enough deposits to keep pace.

UCBH Holdings Inc. in San Francisco announced Monday that it had named banking veteran George A. Baker Jr. a senior vice president and regional director of its Pacific Northwest region.

Banking company profits are expected to grow more slowly this year than last year, but investors are still loading up on bank stocks.

First Community Bancshares Inc. in Bluefield, Va., plans to sell two of its branches for $1.1 million.

Bazile R. Lanneau Jr. is an unlikely activist investor.

Nasdaq has notified Pulaski Financial Corp. in St. Louis that it is out of compliance with a requirement that it have at least three outside directors on its audit committee.

Merchants & Manufacturers Bancorp Inc. in New Berlin, Wis., said Friday that it is restating fourth-quarter earnings after discovering troubled loans at one of its subsidiary banks.

Three banking companies with branches in Chicago are working with law enforcement officials to help stem a recent surge in bank robberies.

City of Boston Credit Union, located inside City Hall, is seeking permission from state regulators to expand its field of membership to cover three of the state's most populous counties.

Immigrants from Latin America are the nation's the fastest-growing group, but many banks are just now seeing demographic changes in their markets.