United Roosevelt Savings Bank in Carteret, N.J., has agreed to buy Wawel Financial Services in Garfield, N.J.

The suggestion that any area has too many local institutions dismisses the importance of community banks and overlooks the dangerous effects of consolidation.

The chief financial officer of Green Bancorp will leave the Houston company in October, although he will maintain ties to it.

Coastal Banking Co. in Beaufort, S.C., promoted Charles Wagner to president and hired Thomas Flournoy to be its new chief financial officer.

Plenty of banks have ended their federal loss-share deals early, but despite the incentives to wind them down, plenty more still have these crisis-era arrangements in place. It may be due to varying deadlines, mistakes calculating loan values or worries that they still might need the coverage for home equity lines.

A breakdown in internal controls at Bank of Princeton almost killed a deal to sell the company to Investors Bancorp.

Green Dot Corp. has tapped one of its board members, Mary Dent, to take the helm of its banking unit.

National Commerce in Birmingham, Ala., has agreed to buy Private Bancshares in Atlanta.

The growth in loan demand and the industry's interest-related income has come in spite of continued pressures on bank profitability.

Marlin Business Services in Mt. Laurel, N.J., has partnered with electronics manufacturer JVCKenwood USA to provide financing plans for its customers.

Standard Financial Corp. in Monroeville, Pa., has agreed to buy Allegheny Valley Bancorp in Pittsburgh for $56.5 million.

A longtime advocate for African-American-owned financial institutions argues that regulators should be taking more forceful action to keep them alive.

Banks and regulators both deserve credit for how they have navigated the post-crisis period, but how regulators continue to implement rules — and how banks continue to deal with this environment — will determine if this is a turning point for finance or the prelude to another round of pain.

CapStar Financial Holdings in Nashville, Tenn., whose board includes a top Credit Suisse executive, has filed plans to raise up to $46 million in an initial public offering.

Park Sterling in Charlotte, N.C., has negotiated an early termination of loss-share agreements with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. for about $15.5 million in assets.

First NBC’s annual report disclosed a full-year loss, lower capital levels and a spike in nonperforming loans, leaving outsiders to ponder how long it will take for the company to get back on track.

Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. in New York has raised $34.4 million through a stock offering.

Employees are the heart and soul of any company. When they are engaged, they behave in ways that have a tremendous positive impact. Companies that want to tap into that power should foster these three attitudes in their employee ranks.