With the din of advertising that bombards us each day, I am always impressed when a "little guy" can cut through the noise to get me to consider a particular message.

Many community banking companies have wealth management units, but lately more small and midsize wealth managers have been getting into the banking business.

PrivateBancorp Inc. in Chicago has promoted Patrick McQueen to chairman and chief executive of its Michigan bank.

Utah is about to ease restrictions on the business loans state-chartered credit unions can make, after bankers there agreed to compromise on the issue.

TIB Financial Corp. of Naples, Fla., is forming a trust company to expand its private banking and wealth management services.

BankLiberty in Liberty, Mo., has a deal to buy nearly all of the banking operations, assets, and deposits of Farley State Bank in Parkville.

Shares of UCBH Holdings Inc. fell sharply Wednesday after the San Francisco company disclosed that its loan chargeoffs in 2007 were higher than first reported.

MIDWEST

Shareholders of FNB Corp. of Christiansburg, Va., who tried but ultimately failed to block its deal with Virginia Financial Group Inc. of Culpeper are not going away quietly.

Shares of TierOne Corp. fell 7.46% Tuesday, to $12.78, after the Lincoln, Neb., company disclosed that it had lost $18 million in the fourth quarter.

Cynthia Blankenship, who will become the chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America today, was once an aspiring archeologist.

With more banks offering remote deposit capture to business customers, regulators are taking a closer look at the technology to ensure it is safe for merchants, consumers, and banks themselves.

Vineyard National Bancorp in Corona, Calif., is urging shareholders to oppose a bid by Vineyard's former chief executive to win seats on the company's board for a slate of directors.

Shares of Alliance Bancorp Inc. of Broomall, Pa., fell 2.8% Monday after the company restated its fourth-quarter earnings to show a $197,000 loss.

Intermountain Community Bancorp of Sandpoint, Idaho, said its fourth-quarter earnings rose 20.9% from a year earlier, to $2.8 million, because of strong growth in fee income and loans.

In a dismal fourth quarter for the banking industry, Texas was a bright spot.

Enterprise Financial Services Corp. in St. Louis said Kevin C. Eichner will step down May 1 as its president and chief executive officer to become the president of Ottawa University in Kansas.

For more information on this data, visit Novantas LLC and Market Rates Insight.

Treaty Oak Bancorp Inc. in Austin expects to save about $400,000 a year before taxes on regulatory filings as a result of its recent move to delist from the over-the-counter market, according to Jeff Nash, its president and chief executive officer.

Don Wilson, the president and chief operating officer for Amcore Financial Inc., has a broad plan to improve profitability at his Rockford, Ill., company.