At least three serial consolidators are positioning themselves for more deals should the right opportunity arise. SCBT and Iberiabank filed shelf registrations this month, while Wintrust raised $127 million.

BancTrust Financial Group in Mobile has put itself on the block, and as many as a half dozen banks could pursue it. The bidding process could foretell a lot about the appetite for small, complex deals everywhere.

First Banks of Clayton, Mo., is exiting Florida roughly four years after it entered the state with the acquisition of the troubled Coast Financial Holdings.

Unobtrusive until now, a set of unrelated security requirements is about to become pretty unpopular, and costly.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NCUA this morning liquidated tiny Shepherd's FCU, a year-old community development credit union, in the latest sign of the difficulties facing small credit unions.

Alabama's BancTrust Financial has abandoned a bid to raise private equity funds. As bank-acquirers circle, a deal could say a lot about the state of M&A.

In what would be just the second acquisition in its 49-year-history, FNB Bancorp in South San Francisco has struck a deal to buy Oceanic Bank Holding in San Francisco.

In its first-ever auction of preferred stock acquired through TARP, Treasury is seeking to sell stakes in Banner Corp. (BANR) of Walla Walla, Wash., First Financial Holdings (FFCH) of Charleston, S.C.; MainSource Financial (MSFG) of Greensburg, Ind.; Seacoast Banking (SBCF) of Stuart, Fla.; Wilshire Bancorp (WIBC) of Los Angeles; and WSFS Financial (WSFS) of Wilmington, Del.

Southern National Bancorp of Virginia (SONA) has received a warning from the Nasdaq that the McLean company is not in compliance with listing requirements after it failed to file an annual report.

Cross County Federal Savings Bank in Middle Village, N.Y., is converting to a state charter from a federal charter.

Banks with less than $1 billion in capital are essentially locked out of the private equity market, due to existing laws such as the Bank Holding Company Act. A group of investment bankers, lawyers, and even some regulators want to make changes.

State regulators closed two banks on Friday, bringing the year's tally to 15. The two failures, in Georgia and Illinois, are expected to cost the Deposit Insurance Fund $ 95.6 million.

I am sad to see Cam Fine of the Independent Community Bankers of America resort personal attacks on me and my firm in response to my comment, "TAG Actually Gives Big Banks the Advantage." I can imagine that my comment stung a bit, but Cam and all of the people at ICBA know that I am one of the most vocal advocates for community banks in the U.S. Indeed, our firm is focusing a great deal of time and effort to help small banks raise capital and compete with the too-big-to-fail banks.

Community West Bancshares in Goleta, Calif., has yet another chief executive, marking its third CEO in less than a year.

The Federal Reserve Board has entered into written agreements with two community banks: Remer Bancorp. in Minnesota and Orrstown Financial Services in Shippensburg, Pa.

Regulators have terminated a memorandum of understanding with a banking unit of Banner Corp. after the Walla Walla, Wash., company returned to profitability for 2011.

Before moaning about unbanked consumers and their supposed lack of financial literacy, bankers, federal regulators, lawmakers might consider that there once was a product that targeted this situation.

With all due respect to my friend Chris Whalen, the view from Main Street in Ashland, Missouri; Newman Grove, Nebraska or Pine Mountain, Georgia is much different than the view from the 26th floor of West 57th Street in New York City.

Wells Fargo’s origination business has been operating at full steam, keeping the company’s mortgage servicing assets well above a cap proposed under Basel III. A new servicer compensation system could resolve the issue, but something has to give.

Commerce Bancshares — a Worcester, Mass., bank that specializes in classic car and small aircraft loans — would become a lender to buyers of Boston taxi medallions by acquiring Mercantile Capital, CEO Brian Thompson says.