WashingtonFirst Bankshares in Reston, Va., has raised $20 million through a private placement.

First NBC Bank Holding in New Orleans has agreed to buy State Investors Bancorp in New Orleans.

The $2 billion-asset company said in a press release Tuesday that it sold common stock to unnamed accredited investors for $10.56 a share.

HF Financial in Sioux Falls, S.D., is scaling back its in-store branch branches due to increased demand for online banking and the advice-oriented offerings at full-service branches.

Ironhorse Financial Group in Muskogee, Okla., has agreed to acquire Benefit Financial Group in Fort Smith, Ark.

Fulton Financial in Lancaster, Pa., disclosed that another one of its banks has been hit with a consent order tied to Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering compliance.

Community banks go against their own interests when they oppose regulations that mainly affect big banks and leave smaller institutions unscathed.

Tompkins Financial in Ithaca, N.Y., will soon have a new leader for its Bank of Castile.

Investors have been waiting for George Martinez to take Allegiance Bancshares public, and 2015 was expected to be the year. But a slide in oil prices might complicate the prospects. Still, with an acquisition to integrate and a team that produces 20% annual loan growth, he is looking forward to the coming year.

United Financial Bancorp in Glastonbury, Conn., is planning to close five branches and lay off the employees who work in them.

Legacy Bank of Florida in Boca Raton has been released from an enforcement action with state and federal regulators.

FNBK Holdings in Dallas has agreed to acquire the First National Bank of Kemp in Texas.

Incentives for companies aren't the same as incentives for people. The QRM risk-retention rule doesn't solve "IBG, YBG" — "I'll be gone, you'll be gone." Banks appear to have been slow to adopt clawback policies for individual lenders.

Valley National in Wayne, N.J., will use proceeds from a branch sale in New York City to offset costs tied to prepaying debt.

Michael Scudder stands to get a full year of benefits from three recently completed deals. The big question, however, is whether First Midwest will pursue a transformative deal to cross over $10 billion in assets and offset a heightened regulatory burden.

MainStreet Bank in Fairfax, Va., has raised nearly $13 million by issuing common stock.

LCNB Corp. in Lebanon, Ohio, has agreed to buy BNB Bancorp in Brookville, Ohio.

Banks have waited eagerly for years for interest rates to rise. Higher rates should lead to better profits for those banks that are well positioned. Others that got impatient and reached for yield with risky investments could be in a world of hurt.