WASHINGTON — Community Bank of the Ozarks in Sunrise Beach, Mo., became the nation’s 51st failed bank of the year late Friday after it was closed by state regulators.

The rising price of bank targets along the central California coast could make expansion there more difficult, PacWest CEO Matt Wagner recently told investors at a meeting hosted by Sandler O'Neill.

Deposits in accounts temporarily protected by unlimited insurance represented more than 10% of assets at more than 900 banks at Sept. 30

Overdraft revenue at banks and credit unions is rebounding a bit after a sharp decline that began in 2008, newly released data shows.

Cornerstone Financial in Mount Laurel, N.J., said it will net renew the current contract for George Matteo, the company's chairman, president and chief executive.

An activist investor group has threatened to file a lawsuit against Orrstown Financial Services (ORRF) unless the Shippensburg, Pa., company makes certain changes to its bylaws.

Bank regulators have lifted a memorandum of understanding against Timberland Bank nearly three years after the bank was hit with the enforcement action.

Jeffersonville Bancorp (JFBC) is set to become the latest New York company to exchange the federal charter of its bank for oversight by a state regulator.

The holding company for AmericanWest Bank in Spokane, Wash., has agreed to repay what PremierWest Bancorp (PRWT) owes the Troubled Asset Relief Program before the banks merge.

Alliance Bankshares (ABVA) has received almost all of the votes it needs to approve its sale to WashingtonFirst Bankshares.

Capital and liquidity challenges, subprime mortgages and bad financial performance hurt reputation over the last year. But many executives agree their companies' management of the financial crisis had the biggest negative impact on their public image.

Martin A. Steele will manage its commercial lending, cash management-treasury services and investment services, HomeStreet said Thursday.

First Bank has agreed to sell eight of its 19 branches in Florida to the $521 million-asset HomeBanc in Lake Mary, Fla., First Bank said Thursday. It will also close another three branches, two in Hillsborough County and one in Pasco County.

Mega-banks dominate the world of naming rights for sports stadiums (think Citi Field, home of the New York Mets). But community banks' names adorn stadiums, too.

Rather than invest heavily in one big risky project, banks should concentrate on many small innovations, beta test them and invest where customer feedback is positive.

After a stock offering fell short of expectations, Sierra Vista Bank (SVBA) in Folsom, Calif., plans to raise about $1.7 million through a securities purchase agreement with Taylor International Fund.

A battle over Senate procedures and the FDIC's absence from the debate were viewed as contributing to blocking a bill to extend the TAG program.

Flush with capital from a recent stock sale, Northeast has launched an online bank, established a nationwide loan-purchasing unit and, most recently, opened a mortgage office in Massachusetts.

Synovus, a Georgia-based company, and CEO Kessel Stelling should be able to devote more resources to loan growth, industry observers say.

A dispute in North Dakota over assessment fees for its state-owned bank could stymie efforts to open similar banks elsewhere.