A looming dividend spike tied to the Small Business Lending Fund convinced Hopewell Valley Community Bank in Pennington, N.J., to sell itself.

What happens when big banks move into a market? Is it a good idea to partner with online lenders? How much of a problem are ag loans? Those questions were among the many addressed by researchers at the recent community banking conference in St. Louis hosted by the Federal Reserve and Conference of State Bank Supervisors.

Hancock Holding in Gulfport, Miss., has agreed to buy a portfolio of health care loans from United Community Banks in Blairsville, Ga.

First Cecilian Bancorp in Cecilia, Ky., has agreed to buy Farmers Bancshares in Hardinsburg, Ky.

CenterState Banks in Davenport, Fla., has agreed to buy Community Bank of South Florida in Homestead.

Kabbage is one of many nonbank lenders looking to partner with traditional financial institutions. But the firm is facing a tough sell with bankers who worry about the risks associated with ceding control of the loan-underwriting process.

Banc of California in Irvine has agreed to buy a Santa Ana office building for $77 million for its headquarters.

C1 Financial in St. Petersburg, Fla., is reportedly looking to sell itself.

A bank failure in Georgia and then another in Washington state late Friday were estimated to cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. nearly $25 million.

Trinity Capital in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and its subsidiary Los Alamos National Bank will pay a $1.5 million penalty to the Securities and Exchange Commission following charges of accounting fraud.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has lifted a cease-and-desist order for Carver Bancorp that was issued in February 2011.

Foreign banks looking to buy a U.S. institution long faced tough scrutiny from the Federal Reserve, and the financial crisis has only made the process harder.

The Small Business Investment Company program may be less famous among banks than some of the SBA's other programs, but it enjoyed a record in fiscal 2015 that wrapped up this week. Stories like that of Opus Bank in California shed light on why.

Banks worldwide are in danger of losing significant profits in several lending areas to nonbank alternative lenders, according to a McKinsey study.

John Neal will retire later this year as president of Union Bank & Trust in Richmond, Va. Neal, 66, will step down on Dec. 31 after 24 years at the $7.5 billion-asset bank.

Emclaire Financial in Emlenton, Pa., has exited the Small Business Lending Fund.

One woman on the all-male management board is not too much to ask, especially if it can take two years (or 20?) to get there, Deutsche Bank decides; Goldman, Morgan Stanley and Citi try mending their leaky pipeline, with some success (but sadly, 100 more years of this is what we're looking at, ladies); also get updates on Mary Jo White, Sallie Krawcheck and WomenCorporateDirectors.

The First Bancshares in Hattiesburg, Miss., has named the president of the University of Southern Mississippi to its board.

Outdated and inefficient processes come at the cost of face time with customers and weigh banks down with unnecessary expenses. Here are some of the most common problems faced by the industry and ideas about how to fix them.

Town and Country Financial in Springfield, Ill., has agreed to buy the parent of Premier Bank of Jacksonville in Illinois.