Some sellers are asking for a lot and buyers have to be careful in vetting targets, but deal activity should increase given the economic pressures and the number of talks going on behind the scenes, some community bank CEOs say.

WASHINGTON — The heads of two key banking trade associations on Friday repeated their calls for Congress to extend the Transaction Account Guarantee program.

Chicago is the latest municipality to adopt a resolution to hold hearings on whether to use eminent domain to take over underwater mortgages from private investors.

Sovereign Bank defeated an overdraft fee lawsuit in Florida federal court on Thursday, making it the only bank to successfully argue its overdraft practices were sanctioned by federal regulators.

Porter Bancorp (PBIB) in Louisville, Ky., is back in the red after posting a profit in the first quarter.

Gideon King, president of Loeb Capital Management, threatened to buy more stock in First California and clean house in the boardroom and executive suite to facilitate a sale to PacWest or another buyer.

The Community Bank, a struggling mutual thrift in Massachusetts, has given up its bid to stay independent and will instead merge with Eastern Bank, the state's largest financial institution.

Preston M. "Pete" Geren 3rd, a former secretary of the Army and U.S. lawmaker, recently joined the board of Texas Capital Bancshares in Dallas.

First Niagara Financial Group swung to a loss in the second quarter on costs tied to its acquisition of retail branches from HSBC Bank.

Nonperforming assets spiked at several community banks in the second quarter, showing that bankers must remain mindful of the risks still embedded in their loan portfolios.

While customers resent paying fees for traditional banking services, they are receptive to paying fees for emerging services that support their financial lifestyles.

Consultants and others offer these tips on avoiding being duped by fraudulent advisors.

Iberiabank is among a handful of serial buyers of banks shuttering branches and taking other steps to lower expenses and raise earnings.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. urged bank CEOs to watch out for middlemen seeking upfront fees to connect them with capital because, it says, many are frauds. The alert should have come sooner, some industry officials say.

The Baltimore bank has taken some giant steps forward over the last two quarters but it still needs a capital injection to complete its turnaround.

The Waterbury, Conn., bank will provide funding for the construction of a basketball practice facility next to the Huskies' basketball arena as part of a broad sponsorship agreement.

Promising acquisition prospects in the New York area prompted Investors Bancorp to tweak the New Jersey company's initial westward-focused growth plan, CEO Kevin Cummings says.

Community banks face such a steep challenge in the next few years, accounting giant KPMG decided to create a position to oversee its efforts to advise them.

Navy Federal's strategy gives everyone else in the industry yet another way to get around the cap. Puzzlingly, some credit unions relentlessly press for legislation.

Iberiabank plans to close underperforming branches and trim elsewhere after acquisition-related costs rose in the second quarter, executives said Thursday.