Gulfstream Bancshares, a closely held Florida business lender with four branches and equity of about $66 million, has put itself up for sale, said two people with knowledge of the matter.

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.

FirstMerit (FMER) has hired a veteran banker to lead its operations in Wisconsin.

The $143.8 million-asset company said Monday it had named Jeffry Wagner to the post. Wagner, who had been CFO at Florida Business Bank in Melbourne, succeeded Richard Browdy, who resigned in February to pursue other career opportunities.

United Community Financial (UCFC) in Youngstown, Ohio, is looking to raise $5 million through a rights offering.

Michael Carrazza, a private equity investor who bailed out Patriot National Bancorp, is eager to make loans while searching for the optimal exit strategy.

Florida bank-buyer Bond Street Holdings bulked up on failure deals, took a 19-month break and has returned to M&A with the aim of $5 billion in assets by yearend.

The nonexistence of "too big to fail" is swell news. Now taxpayers can stop worrying about future bailouts, the Federal Reserve can ease monetary policy and the Justice Department can prosecute the banks purportedly "too big to jail."

Commercial and multifamily mortgage debt rose by 0.9% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, to $21.8 billion, marking the highest year-over-year improvement since the second quarter of 2008, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Monday.

In the past, it was tough for customers to change banks. So, we could charge them—and treat them—pretty much as we pleased. Technology renders switching banks easier and cheaper—making banking more competitive, less profitable.

Community bankers should be more concerned about interest rate risk, mortgage rules and examiner's questions about strategic direction than anything the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau might do, regulators say.

Hanmi Financial Corp's talks with rivals about a possible sale have stalled because of disagreements over price and management, said people with knowledge of the matter.

Signature Bank in New York has hired eight bankers from Citigroup to run two private client banking teams.

Bank of the West in San Francisco is making a middle-market commercial lending push.

Even if regulators restrict banks' ability to charge overdraft fees, those consumers who value banks that cover their overdrafts will find a way to reward institutions providing the best service.

State regulators in Georgia Friday closed the $259 million-asset Frontier Bank in LaGrange, the fourth institution to fail this year.

Christine Rush announced plans to retire as the $855 million-asset company's CFO on May 10, Old Line disclosed in a Friday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Bankers are bracing for the start of more severe anti-money laundering exams as regulators rework their standards and prepare to issue another round of guidance tackling the issue.

Firms have continued to plow money into bank deposits, but high liquidity ratios appear to be more a continuation of trends in place since the 1980s than a reaction to the financial crisis.

Costly due diligence and the heavy demands of institutional investors still make it difficult for aspiring acquirers to pull the trigger on bank M&A.