Some banks are coming up with creative strategies for dealing with the rising cost of health care, from on-site clinics to full-time wellness coordinators. They also are softening the blow of high-deductible plans by phasing them in and contributing to employees' Health Savings Accounts.

The challenge is part of 1st National's wellness program, says Jenny Johnson, the bank's human resources leader. Employees compete in teams of four to six people, who are weighed in November and again in January.

The Best Banks to Work For study is a collaboration between American Banker and the Best Companies Group, which conducts extensive employee surveys and reviews employer reports on benefits and policies.

Besides trying to figure out how to keep health insurance affordable, bankers are wrestling with a slew of other challenges, including recruitment, leadership development and employee engagement.

Our second annual ranking of the banks that win high marks from employees for providing a positive work environment, top-notch benefits and ample career-advancement opportunities. (The perks – like free lattes and subsidized gym memberships – are nice, too.)

Keeping down health care expenses by encouraging employees to live healthier lifestyles is a goal for many companies these days. Here are some of the interesting strategies that the Best Banks to Work For are using – from exercise bonuses to walking meetings.

Regulators on Friday closed The National Republic Bank of Chicago, the 16th institution to fail this year.

The company's $800 million goodwill impairment charge may reflect macroeconomic factors, but also likely resulted from a purchase of HSBC branches two years ago. Other banks are unlikely to face the exact same issues, observers said.

PlainsCapital Bank in Dallas said on Friday that it plans to close 11 branches in the Rio Grande Valley.

A Minnesota community bank has made an offer to buy American Bank of St. Paul in what would be the first time a bank was forced into a sale over unpaid trust-preferred debt.

John Allison, the former chief executive of BB&T, has written another book, this time offering his free-market prescription for producing better leaders in America.

TCF Financial in Wayzata, Minn., reported higher third-quarter earnings, due to strong performance in the bank's auto lending portfolio.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

The mid-term elections next month are on track to be one of the most expensive contests to date, and the financial services industry remains a top political donor.

The $2.4 billion-asset company's earnings tripled from a year earlier, to $2.5 million in the third quarter. Earnings were up 14.4% from the second quarter.

Tompkins Financial in Ithaca, N.Y., reported slightly lower quarterly earnings due to higher costs and lower fee-based revenue.

Save State Street Corp. (STT), the third-largest custody bank, reported third-quarter earnings that beat analysts' estimates as fees for managing and overseeing client assets increased.

Enterprise Financial Services in St. Louis reported lower quarterly earnings on a narrower net interest margin.

First Waterloo Bancshares in Waterloo, Ill., has agreed to buy Prairie Financial Bancorp in Stewardson, Ill.

Square 1 Financial in Durham, N.C., followed a simple formula in the third quarter: loan growth equals higher profits.