Ameris Bancorp (ABCB) in Moultrie, Ga., has agreed to buy Coastal Bankshares in Savannah, Ga.

Chemical Financial (CHFC) in Midland, Mich., has agreed to buy Northwest Bancorp in Traverse City, Mich.

The Charlotte, N.C., bank offers a model for other community banks that have expanded quickly in recent years but face a pricier M&A market: focus on smaller deals that provide additional liquidity and plug geographic holes.

Four private-equity investors have sold their remaining stakes in BankUnited (BKU) in Miami Lakes, Fla., for almost $393 million.

Joseph Stilwell said in recent regulatory filings that he wants Fairmount Bancorp in Baltimore and Harvard Illinois Bancorp to find buyers. He also filed a document backing Jefferson Bancshares' planned sale to HomeTrust.

AIG's United Guaranty Corp. has again elected to go off on its own and will not join the new trade group being formed by the other private mortgage insurers.

BOK Financial Corp. (BOKF) in Tulsa, Okla., has agreed to buy MBM Advisors, a wealth management firm based in Houston.

The rising generation of young Americans not only have little loyalty to banks, according to a three-year survey of 10,000 people born between 1981 and 2000 — many also believe that traditional financial institutions are on their way to irrelevance.

Record profits at agriculture-focused rural banks could be coming to an end. Farm revenue is expected to decline sharply this year, and ag lenders are watching warily to see if this is a one-year blip or the start of a downturn.

A spike in consolidation is expected to provide growth-minded banks with more opportunities to lure executives and commercial lenders.

OTC Markets Group, an operator of financial marketplaces for 10,000 U.S. and global securities, is preparing to launch a public trading marketplace for community and regional banks, according to a company release.

Royal Financial (RYFL) in Chicago has received permission from the Federal Reserve to withdraw an April 2010 board resolution that banned the company from paying dividends, increasing debt or redeeming stock without regulatory approval.

First Bancshares (FBMS) in Hattiesburg, Miss., has agreed to buy BCB Holding in Mobile, Ala.

Scott Tomlinson at Flint Community Bank used a meeting with the agency's deputy director to speak his mind on the shortcomings of mortgage regulation.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is suing four former officers and directors of a failed Baltimore bank for more than $7.4 million in damages.

Unity Bank, a subsidiary of Unity Bancorp Inc. (UNTY) has opened a new division that will offer a wide range of investment products and services aimed at helping customers to grow and preserve wealth.

Business Partners, a credit union service organization in Northridge, Calif., has named financial services veteran Pamella Easley as its president and chief executive officer.

Try and expense hot chocolate or facial tissue for employees at Prosperity Bancshares, and Chief Financial Officer David Holloway is likely to give you an earful, his boss warns.

How do you top a guest speaker like all-everything quarterback Joe Montana at your banking conference? Bring in his former 49er teammate Jerry Rice, the ICBA decided.

The $21 billion-asset Webster has become the official bank of Yale University athletics, it announced last week. The three-year agreement will give Webster advertising and promotional opportunities at Yale sporting events and venues.