Wintrust Financial in Rosemont, Ill., has agreed to buy First Community Financial in Elgin, Ill.

On the day Maurice Spagnoletti was murdered, his black Lexus sedan was full of balloons. It was June 15, 2011, the day before his wife's birthday, and he was planning a celebration.

Community banks are stepping up efforts to raise cheap capital to fuel loan growth, make acquisitions and redeem pricier sources of funds.

The number of customers who obtained 10 payday loans in 2015 outnumbered those who obtained just one, the California Department of Business Oversight said in a report Wednesday.

HCSB Financial in Loris, S.C., has recruited its third executive since completing a key recapitalization.

Bank consolidation in 2016 continues to lag behind last year's pace, although the average deal value is considerably larger.

Millennials, who alreadymake up a third of banked consumers in America, are used to transacting life in clicks and swipes. Institutions must embrace their needs now or risk extinction.

Flushing Financial in Uniondale, N.Y., has raised $21 million in capital after selling an office building.

American National in Danville, Va., has hired the former chief financial officer at NewBridge Bancorp to oversee strategic initiatives.

North Carolina has lost more than 40% of its banks in the past decade, creating a new tier of larger institutions. More deals are expected to occur, raising questions about the pace of M&A and the fate of those bigger banks.

Medallion Bank in New York has sold nearly $100 million in prime-credit consumer loans, largely consisted of home improvement and recreational vehicle installment loans, to an unnamed buyer.

The scheme is used by borrowers who don't have enough income to qualify for a regular mortgage, so they apply for a higher-rate non-owner-occupied loan.

North Shore Bank in Brookfield, Wis., has agreed to buy Layton Park Financial Group in West Allis, Wis.

Royal Credit Union on Friday said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Apple Valley, Minn., office of Deerwood Bank.

The $1.1 billion-asset company said in a press release Friday that it had combined its $492 million-asset CNB in Centreville, Md., and the $615 million-asset Talbot Bank in Easton, Md., to create Shore United Bank.

Banc of California in Irvine has changed its bylaws to allow for majority voting for directors.

Franklin Financial Services in Chambersburg, Pa., has find a successor for its chief executive.

The $99 million-asset thrift said in a recent press release that Best Hometown Bancorp, a holding company it created, raised $8.3 million as part of an initial public offering tied to its mutual-to-stock conversion. Home Federal also plans to change its name to Best Hometown Bank.

The $685 million-asset Pinnacle Financial in Elberton, Ga., said in a press release Friday that it will pay $32.8 million in cash for the $184 million-asset Independence Bank of Georgia in Braselton.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp is buying a bank with a national mortgage platform. The company hopes the business will provide a much-needed lift in fee income.