Aided by solid loan growth, Chemical Financial Corp. in Midland, Mich., and Lakeland Financial Corp. in Warsaw, Ind., reported sharp increases in profits for the quarter that ended Sept. 30.

Acting FDIC Chairman Marty Gruenberg reiterated his agency's support for small banks, but many bankers are unsure if it will lead to real change.

Deposit gains hurt third-quarter profits at big banks such as Wells Fargo & Co., but they led to record profits at Signature Bank in New York.

FirstMerit Corp. in Akron, Ohio, reported third-quarter earnings of $31.7 million, up about 9% year over year, thanks to increased commercial lending activity and fewer problem assets. Earnings per share were rose 7%, to 29 cents, beating analysts' estimates by a penny, according to Thomson Reuters.

West Coast Bank in Lake Oswego, Ore., has been ordered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to improve oversight of its overdraft program and reimburse customers who incurred overdraft fees last year using their debit or ATM cards.

Can "Stop.Think.Connect" become the new "Stop, Drop and Roll"? The National Cyber Security Alliance, a public-private partnership on cyber security, says its new online-banking safety slogan is necessary to educate users.

In a bid to raise fresh capital, ailing Waccamaw Bankshares Inc. in Whiteville, N.C., is selling eight of its branches in North Carolina and three in South Carolina to rival First Bancorp in Troy, N.C.

Regions Financial Corp. swung to a third-quarter profit, helped by sharply reduced credit costs for risky loans, though the lender's top line weakened from a year earlier.

CIT Group Inc. swung to a third-quarter loss as the corporate lender continued to face steep costs related to its prepayment of high-cost debt.

1st United of Boca Raton struck two deals in three days that would move it into central Florida and give it 26 branches in the state.

Bankers spoke openly about their frustration with new regulations during the ABA's annual conference, with one likening it to being repeatedly punched in the head.

Second-guessers are "short-term" thinkers who underestimate the long-term value of the customer relationships the deposits bring, CEO John Stumpf says.

Piedmont Community Bank Holdings Inc. in Raleigh, N.C., said Monday that it received regulatory approval to buy a majority stake in Crescent Financial Corp. for $75 million.

Enterprise Bancorp Inc. in Lowell, Mass., posted third-quarter earnings of $2.9 million, up almost 8% year over year, due to strong loan growth.

FNB United Corp. has completed its acquisition of Bank of Granite Corp., part of the unprecedented merger of two ailing banks in North Carolina.

Fred Joseph, Colorado's banking commissioner, said Community Banks of Colorado should have been able to sell its branches in a bid for more time to resolve its problems. But the FDIC and the Fed overruled him — and then failed the bank.

WASHINGTON - The credit union industry has been lobbying the powerful congressional committee charged with reducing the deficit, seeking to ensure that credit unions preserve their tax-exempt status.

Bank of Hawaii Corp. in Honolulu posted third-quarter earnings of 92 cents a share, nine cents more than the average expectation of analysts.

Anchor Bancorp's losses widened in the third quarter, though the Lacey, Wash.-based company shrunk its nonperforming assets.

Metro Bancorp Inc. in Harrisburg, Pa., posted a third-quarter loss of $5.7 million due to increases in the loan loss provision and chargeoffs.