FirstMerit Corp. of Akron restated its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings Wednesday to reflect a $3.5 million addition to its loan-loss reserves.

A Richmond, Va., bank holding company that has yet to report a profit in its five-year history has been ordered to review its financial controls and corporate governance practices.

James J. Giancola has struck his first acquisition deal since taking over as the president and chief executive officer of Midwest Banc Holdings Inc. 17 months ago, and he said it would be a model for buyouts to come.

Umpqua Holdings Corp. is a minor player in the Sacramento market now, but it won't be for long.

BNC Bancorp in Thomasville, N.C., said it has agreed to acquire the $148 million-asset SterlingSouth Bank and Trust Co., in Greensboro, N.C., for $36 million in stock.

The Nebraska Bankers Association is warning bankers in drought-stricken areas of the state to take a close look at their loan documents to make sure they know who owns the water rights on land used as collateral.

State and federal credit union regulators have closed a community-chartered credit union in Harrisburg, Pa., that they said was insolvent.

First Federal Financial Services Inc. of Edwardsville, Ill., has agreed to buy Clover Leaf Financial Corp., also of Edwardsville, for at least $20.4 million in cash and stock.

Fidelity Bancshares Inc. of West Palm Beach, Fla., had no plans to expand into Fort Lauderdale this year - but when it learned that Wachovia Corp. would close a branch there, it saw an opportunity it could not pass up.

West Coast Bancorp of Lake Oswego, Ore., which has not made an acquisition in eight years, has agreed to buy the $99 million-asset Mid-Valley Bank of Woodburn, Ore., for $25.15 million in cash and stock.

Somerset Hills Bancorp of Bernardsville, N.J., recalled its fourth-quarter earnings report Friday, stating that its news release the day before had been "inadvertently premature."

Sky Financial Group Inc., which announced its latest deal Friday, aims to keep growing through acquisitions and organically, its chief executive says.

Matrix Bancorp Inc. is the second-largest bank or thrift holding company based in Colorado, but it is hardly a household name in its home state.

Gulf Coast banks, thrifts, and credit unions affected by the recent hurricanes may get a break from examiners, according to guidance issued Friday by state and federal agencies.

Amid skyrocketing fuel prices, Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., is offering low-cost loans to help low- and moderate-income people heat their homes more economically.

Colorado community bankers are cheering a new state regulation that will let them make more large loans and, they say, help them compete against big banks and small out-of-state rivals.

The roster of people who got their start working for Ben Love during his nearly two decades as chairman and chief executive officer of the old Texas Commerce Bancshares reads like a who's who in banking and politics.

An investment group has offered to buy FirstBank NW Corp. in Clarkston, Wash., for more than $112 million in cash.