Getting Associated Banc-Corp back in shape required painful writedowns, fresh capital, lending discipline, cultural adjustments, new growth tactics, more transparency — and a leader to put it all together. Enter Phillip Flynn.

For all the anxiety over low interest rates, net interest margins are higher now than they were for much of the last decade. For banks with less than $10 billion of assets, NIMs have been climbing for two and a half years.

Broadway Financial's new CEO; Goldman's Blankfein stands up for gay marriage; CenterState's preemptive strikes; Peetz's Penn State gig; ICBA's Nashville meet.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Thursday will announce the claims process for thrift shareholders who last year won a breach-of-contract case stemming from the savings-and-loan crisis.

When a judge blocked BankAtlantic's complicated deal to sell the healthy portion of its thrift to BB&T, it was the third so-called good bank/bad bank deal in Florida to get hung up.

Regulators say risk-based capital is the ratio they most want to see strengthened, community bankers say. That's a problem because minimum requirements could rise and examiners are said to exercise broad discretion in enforcement.

Pacific Mercantile Bancorp in Costa Mesa, Calif., has restructured its planned stock sale to an institutional investor in a move that will save it almost $1 million and increase a key capital ratio.

BancVue of Austin, Texas is exiting the credit card business in order to devote more attention to its primary business of helping banks and credit unions attract more customers through high-yield checking and savings products.

Boston Private Financial Holdings Inc. has put some of its excess capital to work by repurchasing 5.4 million warrants in a move that would eliminate potential dilution.

First California Financial Group Inc. in Westlake Village, Calif., has agreed to buy a small California bank about a month after announcing that it had hired an investment bank to explore its options.

A judge's ruling against the sale of BankAtlantic to BB&T could also empower holders of trust preferred securities to play a bigger role in M&A.

First Republic Bank in San Francisco said certain shareholders, including members of its management team, will sell up to 11.8 million shares of common stock in a secondary offering.

PrivateBancorp Inc. has named a president of personal client services to oversee a new line of business that combines some of the Chicago company's offerings.

North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue said Tuesday that she has nominated Ray Grace to take over as the state's banking commissioner.

Sen. Mark Udall, a Colorado Democrat, has placed a hold on a community bank bill that would increase the 500-shareholder threshold that requires a small bank to register with the SEC. He is conditioning his support on the advancement of a separate bill that would raise the cap on credit union member business lending.

The Wisconsin private equity company, not to be confused with the New York firm, wants more capital to invest in smaller banks. Jon Bruss, the company's CEO, shares his thoughts on banking, private equity and what the future holds for struggling banks.

James E. Young, the longtime president and chief executive of Citizens Trust Bank in Atlanta, died on Monday after a brief battle with cancer. He was 62.

Carlile Bancshares Inc. in Fort Worth announced late Monday that it is acquiring Northstar Financial Corp. in Denton, Texas, and its subsidiary, the $950 million-asset Northstar Bank.

People's United has agreed to pay $3.25 million to acquire Citizens Financial' 52 branches inside Stop & Shop supermarkets on Long Island and elsewhere in New York, plus four traditional branches.

Past reports on industry health showed limited, if any, loan growth, but that changed in the most recent Quarterly Banking Profile.