The traditional way of doing business in the branch network may be dead, but bank branches themselves will survive in some form, says Bank of the West’s Andy Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head. Bank of the West has been able to open de novo branches without hiring any additional staff, thanks to advanced technology, to meet customer demand for in-store mortgages, small-business loans and investment advice. Harmening spoke to American Banker at the annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.

MutualFirst Financial (MFSF) in Muncie, Ind., has reduced its involvement in the Treasury Department's small-business lending fund.

Heritage Financial in Olympia, Wash., plans to merge its two banks.

First Niagara Financial Group in Buffalo, N.Y., has hired a JPMorgan Chase executive to lead its new business unit for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Executives at these banks will be braced for interrogation by investors, analysts and community activists this spring, when the seasons for annual meetings and conference calls on first-quarter results collide.

WASHINGTON — State regulators in Arizona closed the $45 million-asset Gold Canyon Bank late Friday, the fifth bank failure this year.

The deal is Investors' fourth since late 2011 and would bolster a growing presence in southern New Jersey.

Access National Corp. (ANCX) in Reston, Va., is shutting down a loan office that brought in nearly a third of its profit last year.

A former executive at the defunct Appalachian Community Bank in Ellijay, Ga., was sentenced to prison Friday for running a fraudulent loan scheme.

The Fed, FDIC and OCC have so far given no indication of developing a public complaint database like the one managed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but that could soon change.

Regulators have lifted an enforcement action against a unit of First Financial Northwest (FFNW) in Renton, Wash.

Provident New York says the addition of Sterling Bancorp will super-size returns. Analysts are sold on the combo but question whether the profitability projections for it are realistic.

A former chief executive of First Community Bank has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for running a mortgage-fraud scheme that cost the Hammond, La., bank millions.

Thomas Brouster believes the capital could make an acquirer out of a company that he once pegged as seller.

CEO Wayne Patenaude wants to double the mutual thrift's mortgage originations over the next four years while continuing to devote resources to commercial lending.

Bond Street Holdings has offered jobs and merger-related payouts to two Atlantic Coast Financial (ACFC) executives — but not the president and chief executive — once the Florida companies complete their deal.

Central Bancshares in Muscatine, Iowa, plans to consolidate three of its bank subsidiaries under one charter.

PL Capital has taken a $7 million stake in MutualFirst Financial (MFSF) in Muncie, Ind.

Provident New York scouted other potential targets in the New York City region besides Sterling, but too many of them still think they can survive as independents, CEO Jack Kopnisky says.

Elmira Savings Bank (ESBK) in New York is scaling back its involvement in the Treasury Department's small-business lending fund.