Flathead Holding Co. of Bigfork, Mont., has entered into an agreement with regulators to bolster its capital.

Higher fees powered PrivateBancorp (PVTB) in Chicago in the fourth quarter. The $14.9 billion-asset company's earnings rose 163% from a year earlier, to $20 million.

Peoples Bancorp (PEBO) in Marietta, Ohio, reported increased profit despite a shrinking net interest margin.

FirstMerit (FMER) in Akron, Ohio, posted stronger quarterly results largely because of higher fee income and lower expenses.

Santa Cruz County Bank of Santa Cruz, Calif., reported higher quarterly profit because of balance sheet growth.

Higher overhead weighed First Bancorp of Indiana down in the fourth quarter.

Synovus Financial posted stronger fourth-quarter earnings after it recaptured substantially all of the value of its deferred tax asset.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce closed the $50.2 million-asset 1st Regents Bank in Andover on Friday.

James Montgomery, a longtime bank executive who spent his life building financial institutions, has passed away. The 78-year-old passed away on Dec. 13 in Rancho Mirage, Calif., after suffering from health problems in recent years.

The $3 billion-asset StellarOne of Charlottesville, Va., said Friday that it will buy a branch from the $508 million-asset Village Bank and Trust (VBFC) in Midlothian, Va.

A proposed startup bank would court the Amish, a community with "spectacular" credit ratings and proven business acumen. The founders may have to make some special dispensations, though.

FNB United (FNBN) in Asheboro, N.C., has created a commercial real estate group at one of its banks.

U.S. Century Bank in Doral, Fla., sold about $120 million of loans in the fourth quarter of 2012.

The Federal Reserve Board has terminated a written agreement with Blue Valley Ban Corp. in Overland Park, Kan.

Royal Business Bank is relying more on making deals, particularly for banks that focus on Chinese-American communities, as competition intensifies.

The $1.4 billion-asset company said Friday that it has reactivated its buyback program, while increasing the number of shares eligible for repurchase to 5% of outstanding common stock.

WSFS Financial (WSFS) in Wilmington, Del., warned that its fourth-quarter results will include a nearly $4 million hit from paying off Federal Home Loan Bank advances.

First Financial Bancorp (FFBC) in Cincinnati gave investors a sneak peek at its fourth-quarter results while announcing a key management shift.

M&F Bancorp (MFBP) in Durham, N.C., said in a regulatory filing Thursday that it hired Randall Hall as its chief financial officer. He succeeded Lyn Hittle, who will retire in March.

Bank of Kentucky Financial (BKYF) in Crestview Hills reported higher earnings as credit issues subsided.