The $6 billion-asset Pinnacle said in a press release Wednesday that it paid $75 million for a 30% stake in Bankers Healthcare Group in Southwest Ranches, Fla.

Flushing Financial in Lake Success, N.Y., has expanded its business banking operations to Manhattan.

Scammers are posing as lawyers from the New York Attorney General's office investigating consumers for overdue debts, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman warned Wednesday.

Hudson Valley Holding in Yonkers, N.Y., swung to a profit as it prepares to sell itself to Sterling Bancorp in Montebello, N.Y.

Cheviot Financial in Cincinnati will soon have a new chief executive.

Premier Bancshares in Omaha, Neb., has agreed to buy Farmers Bank and Trust in Nebraska City.

Two community banks on Tuesday disclosed plans to raise capital by selling subordinated debt.

Management training programs are slowly returning to smaller banks decades after belt-tightening led to their demise. Rigorous regulatory scrutiny, combined with a need for improved risk management and increased income, are spurring the comeback.

Lenders have purged bad loans and low interest rates are fueling new projects. Yet many bankers still view C&D loans as risky and are eager to stress that they will steer clear of the boom.

Premara Financial in Charlotte, N.C., has a new chief executive.

TowneBank in Hampton Roads, Va., reported a lower quarterly profit due to higher costs tied to its recent acquisitions.

For the 5th consecutive year, American Banker and Discover are proud to sponsor the Young Women's Leadership Award, a college scholarship given to graduating high school seniors who have demonstrated leadership potential and are the first generation in their family to attend college. We're looking for women who work in banking or finance to serve on the Young Women's Leadership Award Advisory Board.

Bank managers can motivate their teams to make sales without forcing them to pounce on customers the moment they walk in the door.

Banner Corp. in Walla Walla, Wash., has lowered its fourth-quarter profit due to an adjustment to the its provision for income taxes.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. issued five consent orders in December, according to the agency's most recent summary of enforcement actions.

Three recent deals involving midsize sellers have gone far reversing regional bankers' fears of M&A. Still, the real evidence of progress must involve seeing those deals close.

Peoples Community National Bank in Bremen, Ga., has changed its name and logo.

Kentucky First Federal Bancorp is merging its two banks.

Opus Bank in Irvine, Calif., has received regulatory approval to form a broker-dealer subsidiary that will expand its merchant banking capabilities.

BB&T in Winston-Salem, N.C., has received regulatory approval to buy Citigroup's remaining branches in Texas.