Commercial Federal Corp. of Omaha said Tuesday that its third-quarter earnings fell 7% from the same quarter last year, to $20.2 million.

Bowing to the inevitable, Carver Bancorp Inc. of New York and Independence Federal Savings Bank of Washington announced Tuesday that they had agreed to terminate their $30 million merger deal.

About midsemester, when students got antsy, I enjoyed taking a half-hour out of my banking courses to teach them how to steal from a bank.

First Financial Bankshares Inc. in Abilene, Tex., plans to buy Clyde Financial Corp. for $25.4 million in cash.

Banks with branches in supermarkets operated by the Kroger, Safeway, and Albertsons chains are bracing for strikes this fall in Cincinnati, Denver, and northern California.

Rurban Financial Corp.'s third-quarter earnings rose 250% from a year earlier, to $699,000, up 250%.

Premier Valley Bank in Fresno plans to expand along the border of Yosemite National Park by buying a community bank for $28 million in cash.

Provident Financial Services Inc. of Jersey City reported that its third-quarter net income rose 46% from second the quarter and 64% from the third quarter of last year, to $13.3 million.

Community Bank System Inc. of Syracuse said strong growth in its employee benefits consulting and wealth management business lines helped third-quarter earnings rise 21% from a year earlier, to $14.2 million.

Third-quarter net income at Dime Community Bancshares of Brooklyn, N.Y., fell 26% from a year earlier, to $11.2 million.

Big increases in loans and deposits helped Merrill Merchants Bancshares Inc. report a record quarterly profit of $1.23 million Friday.

CVB Financial Corp. of Ontario, Calif., is acquiring Granite State Bank in Monrovia for $27 million.

Though some of its other initiatives have alienated many of the lenders and borrowers it serves, the Small Business Administration can point to one as an absolute success - its effort to reduce the average size of the loans it guarantees under its flagship 7(a) program.

Carver Bancorp Inc. and Independence Federal Savings Bank in Washington seemed to be a perfect match.

Facing fierce opposition from shareholders, farmers, lawmakers, and most other Farm Credit System lenders, Farm Credit Services of America has terminated its agreement to sell itself to Rabobank Group.

Whitney Holding Corp. of New Orleans announced Wednesday that its third-quarter earnings fell 19.6% from a year earlier, to $22.1 million.

The Ohio Supreme Court has closed a loophole that let many of the state's community banks observe a document-disclosure standard that was decidedly less rigorous than those in most other states.

Partners Trust Financial Group Inc. of Utica, N.Y., announced Tuesday that its third-quarter net income fell 36%, to $2.3 million.

Mercantile Bankshares Corp. of Baltimore announced Tuesday that its third-quarter earnings rose 20%, to $56.8 million.

The South Financial Group Inc. of Greenville, S.C., announced Tuesday that its third-quarter earnings were $31 million, 30% more than a year earlier.