Earnings at the $7.5 billion-asset company in DeWitt, N.Y., fell 8.5%, to $18.3 million, from a year earlier, it reported Tuesday.

Pacific Continental (PCBK) in Eugene, Ore., has agreed to buy Century Bank for $13.4 million in cash.

Lower yields and higher expenses weighed on Hudson City Bancorp (HCBK) in Paramus, N.J., in the third quarter.

IberiaBank Corp. reported a hefty increase in earnings after lowering its loan-loss reserve and reporting loan growth.

Ameris Bancorp (ABCB) in Moultrie, Ga., reported a 93% drop in earnings and missed projections by 10 cents per share in the third quarter.

Trustmark's company's earnings rose 2% from the second quarter and 9.5% from a year earlier, to $29.9 million. The Jackson, Miss., company said in a press release late Tuesday that higher revenue from insurance commissions and mortgages helped boost its bottom line.

Third-quarter income rose slightly for UMB Financial (UMBF) as the Kansas City, Mo., company reported higher average loan balances and noninterest expenses.

Borba, along with his brother John, Ron Kruse and others founded Chino Valley Bank in 1974 "with the vision of creating a community bank that could provide customized banking relationships to the many small businesses and business owners in the greater Chino area," the $6.3 billion-asset CVB said in a press release Tuesday.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has lifted a consent order against Metro Bank related to the bank's anti-money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act programs.

Gregory Mitchell, who left First PacTrust Bancorp last month, has joined First Tech Federal Credit Union as president and CEO. In a letter posted on First Tech's website, Mitchell admitted to having a credit union membership while running at least two banks.

Regulators are barring a Maryland bank holding company from paying shareholders and some creditors until it takes steps to boost capital.

American Heritage in California had been facing pressure from the OCC to diversity beyond SBA lending. Rather than reinvent itself, the bank found an eager buyer in Sterling Financial, a Spokane, Wash., company that wants to expand the SBA platform.

Straying far from home is often a mistake. F.N.B. can speak to that from a past foray into Florida. But the Pennsylvania bank says its more focused deal in Maryland will work.

Numerica Credit Union recently held what amounts to a happy hour at its branches, except instead of cocktails, people were given $5 checks and shown how to use phones to deposit those checks.

All banks are eager to boost wallet share, but a new survey shows that many are not doing such a good job of cross-selling one of the most basic products to their checking clients.

The flood of new regulation, demands for more capital, harsh enforcement and an unexplained three-year-old de facto moratorium on de novo charters lead one to believe Washington wants fewer community banks

Strong deposit and loan growth fueled third-quarter income at Signature Bank (SBNY) in New York.

Earnings at FirstMerit, the $14.6 billion-asset Akron, Ohio, bank rose 10%, to $34.9 million in the third quarter, compared with a year earlier, it reported Tuesday. Noninterest expense fell 6.4%, to $108.5 million, over the same period.

Lending to companies that service the federal government have historically been safe bets, but that could change if Washington is forced to make drastic cuts early next year.

Banks can retain their best and brightest staff by offering career advancement opportunities, competitive base salaries, adequate training and attentive performance management.