What persuaded Stearns Financial Services Inc. of St. Cloud, Minn., to reach across the country and buy a failed bank in Alpharetta, Ga.?

Sterling Bancshares Inc. in Houston said Tuesday that third-quarter profits fell 51% a year earlier, to $7.1 billion, as asset quality weakened in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike and the bankruptcy of a large commercial customer.

NBT Bancorp Inc. in Norwich, N.Y., said its third-quarter earnings were flat from a year earlier, at $15.1 million, or 46 cents a share.

Provident Bankshares Corp. in Baltimore swung to a loss in the third quarter after taking a $24.6 million impairment charge on investment securities that have sharply declined in value.

PrivateBancorp Inc. of Chicago said Monday that it lost $7.3 million, or 21 cents a share, in the third quarter as a result of a sharp increase in its loan-loss provision and expenses related to its rapid expansion.

First Niagara Financial Group in Lockport, N.Y., and Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc. in Pittsfield, Mass., did not need to apply for funds through the Treasury Department's Capital Purchase Program because they had just completed stock offerings of their own.

Buoyed by a one-time gain on the sale of its merchant credit card acquiring business, QCR Holdings Inc. in Moline, Ill., said Friday that third-quarter earnings rose 169% from a year earlier, to $4.3 million.

Though its credit quality weakened, First Financial Holdings Inc. in Charleston, S.C., said Friday that earnings for its fiscal fourth quarter, which ended Sept. 30, increased 21.5% from a year earlier, to $6.3 million.

Wintrust Financial Corp. of Lake Forest, Ill., is setting aside more capital than ever to cover potential loan losses, but is it reserving enough?

Scrambling to preserve capital after a $17.8 million third-quarter loss, Frontier Financial Corp. in Everett, Wash., said Thursday that it would slash expenses and curtail loan growth.

United Community Banks Inc. in Blairsville, Ga., which is still trying to unload troubled assets and preserve its capital position, said it sold more than a dozen of its largest nonperforming loans in the third quarter.

AUSTIN — The third quarter was a trying one for Texas community banks that have grown used to outperforming their counterparts in the rest of the country.

By adding 41 supermarket branches in the Washington area next year, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. said it aims to scale up quickly and cheaply in a growth market — and send "a loud message" about its overall prospects.

Virginia Commerce Bancorp Inc. of Arlington intended to raise $25 million in a private offering this month, but now the $2.7 billion-asset company is considering applying for a cash infusion from the Treasury Department instead.

Heritage Community Bank of Glenwood, Ill., has been ordered to increase its capital, clean up its loan portfolio, and overhaul its management.

Shares of Pulaski Financial Corp. of St. Louis fell 9% Wednesday on news that it lost $4.1 million, or 39 cents a share, in its fiscal fourth quarter because of a spike in troubled loans and hefty loss in its securities portfolio.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc. in San Antonio reported a double-digit drop in third-quarter earnings after provisioning for expected losses caused by Hurricane Ike, which lashed the Galveston and Houston areas in mid-September.

As publicly traded banks ponder whether to apply for the Treasury Department's Capital Purchase Program, thousands of private ones that are currently ineligible await details about how the government plans to include them.