The Wilmington, Delaware, bank announced this week that it had purchased Bell Rock Capital. WSFS' management says that legal troubles involving that investment advisory firm's founder won't affect the transaction.

The $1.6 billion-asset company said in a press release Wednesday that its directors "voted to terminate" Kevin Lycklama's employment. Dan Cox, chief credit officer, was named as acting president and CEO.

The nearly $81 million plan to buy Community Financial Group in Spokane, Washington, would mark the 13th acquisition in the past decade for Glacier. The Montana-based bank has more than tripled in size during that time.

The real threat is from undercapitalized banks, and regulators must require large banks to have enough capital to eliminate that threat.

Bankers say regulatory burden, rising costs and intensifying competition will reignite a drive for scale and spur dealmaking provided interest rates level off and the economic outlook improves.

Texas State Bankshares has agreed to buy Estrada Hinojosa & Co., one of the nation's biggest municipal underwriting and advisory firms.

The Vancouver, Washington, company disclosed in a regulatory filing that Kevin Lycklama was under investigation. It elaborated only to say that the matter did not involve the bank's financial condition.

Kansas Banking Commissioner David Herndon told American Banker that his agency declared Heartland Tri-State Bank insolvent because of a "very sudden" event that crippled the bank financially.

Critics of the Federal Home Loan banks fundamentally misunderstand the purpose and necessity of the system.

Investors should expect "consistency, predictability," says COO Tyler Wilcox, who is scheduled to take over for longtime CEO Chuck Sulerzyski when he retires next spring.