Opus Bank in Irvine, Calif., has formed a commercial real estate banking division made up of Opus' income-property banking division and its newly formed structured finance unit.

Wilson Bank & Trust will become one of the first banks to test MoneyDesktop's latest marketing capabilities.

Lending surged at Customers Bancorp in Wyomissing, Pa., this spring, allowing the $3.8 billion-asset company to report profits of $8.2 million in the second quarter, up 26% from the same period in 2012.

Hedge funds have beaten the FDIC in a series of legal disputes over the assets of bankrupt holding companies, exposing a serious flaw in the regulator's system for recovering value from failed institutions.

Reliance Financial Corp. in Atlanta has agreed to buy the trust and asset management business of Grand Bank and Trust of Florida in West Palm Beach.

The most notable quotes from American Banker stories of the previous week. Readers are encouraged to add their own observations in the Comments fields at the bottom of each slide.

The $2.8 billion-asset Wilshire would pay about $105 million in cash and stock for the $542 million-asset Saehan, the companies announced Monday.

The "we are all buyers" mentality held by most of Chicago's large community banks changed when Taylor Capital agreed to sell to MB Financial for $680 million. It could signal the beginning of long-awaited consolidation in the Chicago area.

Planned price increases and hints that households are looking for higher yields for their savings suggest that the flood tide of deposits could finally be ebbing.

Normally community banks avoid loan participations with nearby rivals, but a group of Delaware banks decided they had to do so to compete with big banks — and survive.

Barclays is in an awkward situation that will ring familiar to bankers in the U.S. The U.K. bank has been terminating relationships with money transmitters, including several that wire funds to Somalia, a ravaged country that relies heavily on remittances from immigrants in the West. The bank says it's uncomfortable with the risk and expense of serving these businesses in light of recent fines levied against big financial institutions for anti-money laundering lapses. But now it's being accused of starting a humanitarian crisis.

First PacTrust in Los Angeles plans to become to Banc of California, effective July 16.

First Bank in Hamilton, N.J., has agreed to buy Heritage Community Bank in Randolph.

MB Financial has agreed to buy Taylor Capital Group. The deal would create one of the largest banking companies in Chicago.

Citigroup Inc., the third-biggest U.S. bank by assets, posted a 42 percent increase in second-quarter profit that beat analysts' estimates as stock-trading revenue surged and losses on unwanted assets declined.

M&A, bank consolidation and marketing strategies are among the reasons why a number of banks have changed their names in recent months. Here are some notable examples from this year.

FBC Bancshares in Conroe, Texas, has raised $13 million in a debt offering.

Republic Bancorp (RBCAA) of Louisville, Ky., hopes a deal for a small thrift owned by H&R Block will help it rebuild momentum it has lost in recent years.

Great Southern Bancorp in Springfield, Mo., is closing 11 branches in a bid to cut costs.

Profits rose at Webster Financial in Waterbury, Conn., on strong fee income and cost controls.