In terminating its deal to buy Peoples Community Bancorp Inc. of West Chester, Ohio, Integra Bank Corp. in Evansville, Ind., might have gotten itself back into the good graces of its investors.

Shares of Franklin Bank Corp. plunged Friday after the beleaguered Houston company reported that it lost $66 million, or $2.64 a share, in the fourth quarter as a result of a $65 million goodwill impairment charge and a $23.5 million increase in its loan-loss allowance.

Branch sales boosted First Niagara Financial Group Inc.'s fourth-quarter net income by 33% from the year earlier, to $27.8 million, the company said Thursday.

With commercial real estate markets deteriorating, Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan urged bankers Thursday to take proactive steps — or face harsh treatment from examiners.

A recent conversation with the owner of an independent toy store reminded me of why we ask our branch managers to "act like owners" when running their businesses.

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Signature Bank Corp. in New York says it is postponing its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings report because it needs more time to determine the market value of asset-backed securities in its investment portfolio.

(The reader is responding to "Banks Urged to Take CRE Loan Initiative," which ran on Feb. 1, 2008)

For the first time since the early 1990s, an outsider is at the helm of the family-run Taylor Capital Group.

NEW ENGLAND

Looking to trim overhead amid mounting credit-quality troubles, BankAtlantic Bancorp Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is scaling back its expansion plans and said it is considering leaving the Orlando market entirely.

Centennial Bank Holdings Inc. in Denver, which has bought four banks since 2004, has reported that it lost $138.2 million, or $2.68 per share, in the fourth quarter because of a goodwill impairment charge on its acquisitions.

A Wisconsin credit union is pressuring the Internal Revenue Service to take a stand on whether income from sales of insurance products should be taxed.

Defying a difficult market, Cape Bancorp Inc. in Cape May Court House, N.J., announced late Monday that it has sold the minimum number of shares required to close its initial public offering.

Sterling Bancshares Inc. in Houston said Tuesday that its fourth-quarter earnings rose 4.3% from a year earlier, to $13.4 million.

Buoyed by strong loan and deposit growth, Enterprise Financial Services Corp. in St. Louis reported Tuesday that its fourth-quarter profits rose 12% from a year earlier, to $4.9 million.

In what would be the first acquisition in its nine-year history, Jacksonville Bancorp Inc. in Florida has a deal to buy the $165 million-asset Heritage Bancshares Inc. in Orange Park for $30.2 million in cash and stock.

For PrivateBancorp Inc. in Chicago, hiring LaSalle Bank's former president and 56 managing directors was not cheap.

Stung by defaults in its residential construction loan portfolio, Cowlitz Bancorp. in Longview, Wash., reported a $3.1 million loss in the fourth quarter, compared with a profit of $1.2 million a year earlier.