Two years ago Heartland Financial USA Inc. in Dubuque, Iowa, laid out an ambitious plan: to double its assets every five to seven years.

Capitol Bancorp Ltd. of Lansing, Mich., has opened its 50th separately chartered bank subsidiary, Ohio Commerce Bank in Beachwood.

With Oregon's legislative session just two months away, bankers there want to remind lawmakers exactly what they have done for their communities lately.

El Banco Financial Corp.'s bid to become an independent banking company has hit a roadblock.

TCF Financial Corp. of Wayzata, Minn., announced that its TCF Bank Michigan has agreed to sell 10 branches to Independent Bank Corp. of Ionia, Mich.

Heartland Bancorp Inc. in Bloomington, Ill., announced Monday that it is buying the $346 million-asset First Federal Bancshares Inc. in Colchester, Ill., for about $28.6 million of cash.

Eastern Virginia Bankshares Inc. in Tappahannock has announced plans to offer 1 million shares of common stock to help finance loan growth.

Sterling Bancorp in New York said Friday that it swung to a $4.4 million loss in the third quarter, from a $6.3 million profit a year earlier.

As Gerard Cuddy prepares to become the president and chief executive officer of Beneficial Mutual Bancorp in Philadelphia, one analyst likened him to a coach taking over a team in midseason.

San Francisco became the fifth major U.S. city to require banks and other companies doing business with it to disclose whether they profited from slavery.

Rabobank Group, which announced a plan to continue its expansion in California, became the third non-U.S. banking company to announce a bank deal in the United States this week.

MIDWEST

A struggling Michigan banking company in a county with a sluggish economy is investing in a nearby start-up bank as it searches for loan growth and a return to profitability.

James Abbott, an analyst at Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. Inc., upgraded shares of PFF Bancorp Inc. and said pressure on the Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., company's net interest margin is a short-term problem.

CHICAGO — PrivateBancorp Inc. announced plans Wednesday to expand into Kansas City, Mo., by establishing PrivateBank-Kansas City, and has hired a former Gold Banc Corp. executive to run it.

RBC Centura Bank of Raleigh emerged as the big winner Wednesday, buying 39 of the 52 branches AmSouth Bancorp. was required to sell to get government clearance for its deal with Regions Financial Corp.

Old National Bancorp of Evansville, Ind., reported Tuesday that its third-quarter earnings rose 367% from a year earlier, to $21 million.

The third quarter was a challenging one all around for community banks.

Bank Mutual Corp.'s plans for improving its lackluster earnings include making more commercial loans and selling more fee services to baby boomers.