Guaranty Federal Bancshares in Springfield, Mo., has elected James Batten, a director of the company since 2006, as its next chairman.

The head of a small bank in Massachusetts has negotiated a $1.3 million change-in-control payment when his bank gets sold even though he will remain with the new company. Investors in the seller complain that's unfair, but others say it can be a mutually beneficial incentive for M&A dealmakers.

Truxton Trust's approach is just one strategy banks are using attract more wealthy clients. But whether they are exploring out-of-market opportunities, staying local or employing robo-advisers, banks all have the same goals: to generate more fee income at a time when margins from lending continue to shrink.

Say what you will about these companies' longevity, were it not for the likes of Lending Club you wouldn't see banks like Wells Fargo introducing expedited loan products.

Can't anybody get along … for even five minutes? JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon called community banking leader Cam Fine a "jerk" on cable television. Fine responded by blasting megabanks for their role in the financial crisis.

Seacoast Banking in Florida is facing pressure from CapGen, its biggest investor, to generate better returns or sell to a larger institution.

HomeStreet in Seattle has agreed to buy most of the assets and deposits of Bank of Oswego, including the Lake Oswego, Ore., bank's branches.

First Connecticut Bancorp in Farmington has committed to making $5 million in small-business loans over the next year.

Growth in consumer-facing businesses propelled the Index of Banking Activity to a solid 57.1 reading in April. However, a sharp loss of momentum on indicators that track commercial lending yielded one of the sharpest divergences to date between the commercial and consumer sides of the business.

Among the activities tracked by the IBA's individual components, only deposit pricing came in below 50 for the month. But most components saw their scores decline from March, and the components that track commercial loan applications and approvals, both of which were very strong in March, declined by significant margins and hovered at levels just above the break-even mark in April. (Scores above 50 are indicative of expansion within a business line, while those below 50 indicate contraction.)

On a regional level, survey respondents in the Northeast reported increased pressure on new consumer- and commercial-loan pricing. Bankers in the energy-sensitive West were the most likely to report weakness in commercial lending, both in terms of applications and approvals.

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CBI Bank & Trust in Muscatine, Iowa, said Tuesday that it has agreed to buy a branch in Davenport, Iowa, from MidWestOne Bank in Iowa City.

If alternative small-business lenders don't get engaged in the regulatory dialogue, they risk letting a few bad apples determine their fate.

After two failed attempts to find a buyer, New England Bancorp in Massachusetts agreed to close all four of its offices before selling to Independent Bank. Independent ultimately decided to keep one branch open.

Daniel Schrider, chief executive of Sandy Spring Bancorp in Olney, Md., discusses a controversial change to loan-loss accounting rules — known as the Current Expected Credit Loss standard, or CECL — and why it will be a burden for community banks.

Sunshine Bancorp in Plant City, Fla., has agreed to buy FBC Bancorp in Orlando, Fla.

A dozen directors were re-elected at Middleburg Financial in Virginia despite a protest from the company's biggest investor.

PL Capital, a big investor in Banc of California, is proposing that the Irvine company adopt majority, rather than plurality voting, for the election of directors.

Boston Private Financial Holdings is expanding its footprint in California, opening a new office in Los Angeles on June 1. The company will have 35 offices nationwide, including 14 on the West Coast.

State Bank Financial in Atlanta just hired a lending team that will take its SBA lending operation to the next level. The moves comes as the SBA reports a record number of 7(a) loans.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s request for input on mobile financial services allows banks to promote how their mobile app helps the underserved, which is a plus when seeking merger approval.

Farmers National Banc in Canfield, Ohio, has agreed to buy Bowers Insurance Agency in Cortland, Ohio.