A rise in fee income and interest lifted first-quarter results at Colony Bankcorp (CBAN) in Fitzgerald, Ga.

A lack of growth in core deposit-taking and lending in the first quarter bodes ill for an industry that's still struggling to regain its post-crisis footing. The disappointing numbers are likely to intensify banks' push to expand into businesses like wealth management and auto lending.

SunTrust Banks in Atlanta relied heavily on expense cuts to generate higher earnings compared with a year earlier.

CrossFirst Holdings in Leawood, Kan., has agreed to buy Tulsa National Bancshares in Oklahoma.

The executive suite at Texan Bank in Sugar Land, Texas, has become a family affair. The $80.7 million-asset bank recently named veteran banker Kenneth Koncaba Jr. chief executive officer.

Salem Five Cents Savings Bank has set up a fund to support the family of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy killed in the Boston Marathon bombing.

As expected, the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a controversial bill that aims to bolster the nation's defenses against cyber threats.

Hanmi Financial in Los Angeles has inked major leaguers Hyun-Jin Ryu and Shin-Soo Choo to multiyear marketing deals to attract Korean-American consumers and baseball fans in general.

Establishing mentoring programs and better employee communication, drawing on the expertise of nonfinancial companies and holding special events aimed at women business owners are some of the ways banks can develop more women executives and clients.

Expense related to failed bank deals weighed on Simmons First National (SFNC) in Pine Bluff, Ark., in the first quarter.

Bank of the West's Andy Harmening discusses the advantages of being owned by France's BNP Paribas. "For us, it's been a very positive relationship," he says. Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head, spoke to American Banker at the annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.

Fee income and securities sales lifted Lakeland Bancorp (LBAI) in Oak Ridge, N.J., in the first quarter.

Lower yields weighed on People's United Financial (PBCT) in Bridgeport, Conn., in the first quarter.

Fees from residential refinancings propelled Sandy Spring Bancorp (SASR) in Olney, Md., in the first quarter.

BB&T announced Thursday that it earned $210 million in the first quarter, compared with $431 million a year earlier, as it took a $281 million charge related to a tax dispute with the Internal Revenue Service.

But large banks have narrowed the gap as they have made a more concerted effort to better explain their fee structures to disgruntled customers.

Steve Antonakes, the No.2 at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, spent an hour with bankers on Wednesday attempting to ease concerns about impending mortgage rules and the examinations that will follow.

Astoria Financial (AF) in Lake Success, N.Y., boosted its quarterly profit nearly 40% by reining in costs.

Umpqua Holdings (UMPQ) in Portland, Ore., missed its quarterly earnings expectations because of margin pressure.

Shore Bancshares (SHBI) in Easton, Md., has tapped a company veteran to become its chief executive.