The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. issued prompt corrective actions against five banks in January, telling them to either raise capital or be acquired by another institution.

As the Transaction Account Guarantee program is such an important issue to community banks, I read with interest Ms. Barbara Rehm's column titled "Rehm on TAG: Don't Extend it, End it." The piece omitted discussion of the reasons the TAG was created by the FDIC in the first place and why those reasons are still valid today.

The leadership of the American Bankers Association pushed attendees at this year's Conference for Community Bankers to stand united in public, while urging them to push lawmakers to sign onto a bill to address examination appeals.

Atlantic Coast Financial Corp. in Jacksonville, Fla., reported a loss of $4 million in the fourth quarter, compared with a loss of $5.2 million a year earlier, as its expenses and loan-loss provision declined.

Commerce National Bank & Trust in Winter Park, Fla., has entered into a consent order with the Officer of the Comptroller of the Currency that requires it to clean up its loan portfolio and bolster its capital levels.

The sovereign debt crisis affects all of us, whether we're managing risk at a trillion-dollar bank in North America or at Main Street Bank in Small Town, USA. Even if we don't have customers overseas, our customers at home may be affected either directly or indirectly by events on the other side of the Atlantic.

With few banks over $1 billion of assets willing to sell, larger buyers resort to picking off clusters of smaller banks. Pressure to grow outweighs the added costs, executives say.

Much of the business ceded by B of A has been absorbed by Wells Fargo. Still, smaller lenders are making inroads as the giants scramble the playing field by shuttering origination channels, or exiting the business altogether.

Credit unions and community banks served by The Members Group now have access to a fraud prevention tool that allows them to set more detailed parameters for spotting suspicious transactions.

Bank deal activity eventually has to increase, but predicting the exact timing of consolidation remains hard, says Thomas Michaud, the investment bank's chief.

The agency's research on the sector includes some larger institutions that still fit the community bank mold, while discounting smaller banks with a narrow focus.

Rockville Financial Inc. in Connecticut reported record fourth-quarter income of $4 million, up 48% from a year earlier, as net interest income and noninterest income rose.

Consumer advocates and others urge banks to improve overdraft disclosures, press CFPB's Cordray to regulate Wal-Mart.

Weak demand for advances among member banks suppressed profits at several of the nation's Federal Home Loan Banks during the fourth quarter.

CEO Douglas Glenn has won the patient support of Carlyle Group and other private-equity investors in the Virginia bank, and cleared the path for an important stock offering.

Ames National Corp. in Iowa has agreed to acquire two branches in the north central region of the state from Liberty Bank.

The parent company of United Legacy Bank in Winter Park, Fla., is buying a large stake in a rival bank in what appears to be the first step toward building a multi-bank holding company.

Bankers shouldn't complain about intrusive government regulation while begging Congress to extend unlimited deposit insurance on large transaction accounts. It's disingenuous, and perhaps worse, it's dangerous politics.

CoBank, the largest lender in the government-backed Farm Credit System, reported record profits in 2011 as higher prices for key commodities such as corn, wheat and soy led to increased loan demand from large cooperatives and agribusinesses.

People's United Financial Inc. in Bridgeport, Conn., is moving to streamline its operations after making five acquisitions in less than three years.