National Credit Union Administration Chairman JoAnn Johnson defended her agency after a federal judge in Utah said last week that it had acted improperly in letting a credit union expand its community charter to six counties.

Illinois banks and credit unions, angry with the governor for raising examination fees last year to help balance the budget, are fighting back.

Many bankers spend time in their state capitals and in Washington lobbying legislators to pass laws supporting the banking industry.

Nice guys do not always finish last.

Encouraged by the success of its expansion into Phoenix, CoBiz Inc. of Denver aims to nearly double its assets, to $3 billion, by 2007 - with $1 billion in Arizona alone.

The America's Community Bankers Nasdaq Stock Index is up nearly 20% since its inception a year ago, while its market capitalization has increased 9%, to about $190 billion.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Old National Bancorp has been plagued by credit troubles and lackluster earnings for two years, but its new president and chief executive insists he has not stepped into a turnaround situation.

Vineyard National Bancorp of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., said Thursday that it plans to raise $15 million in a private offering, expected to close today, to certain institutional investors.

KNBT Bancorp of Bethlehem, Pa., plans to expand into three more counties in its home state by acquiring Northeast Pennsylvania Financial Corp. in Hazelton.

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc. downgraded Midwest Banc Holdings Inc.'s stock after the Illinois company said it would reposition its balance sheet to hedge against earnings volatility and rising interest rates.

CFS Bancorp Inc. of Munster, Ind., said it has paid $42 million of prepayment penalties to restructure its Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings.

First the Chicago suburbs put the clamps on new bank branches, and now the city is trying to do the same.

Check cashers say a growing number of banks are refusing to lend to or even accept deposits from them, and they are concerned that the trend could put many of them out of business.

MIDWEST

There have been 116 bank start-ups in 2004, slightly above the pace of the past three years.

More and more credit unions are offering customers free online bill pay, according to a recently released survey.

Wells Financial Corp.'s announcement Monday that it is buying back nearly 86,000 of its shares omitted one significant detail: The amount falls well short of the 150,000 shares it said it wanted to repurchase in order to delist its stock and go private.

"Were you born in Maine?" the judge asked.

Hudson United Bancorp of Mahwah, N.J., said Monday that it had made lump sum payments to its four top executives, including its president and chief executive officer, Kenneth T. Neilson, in exchange for their agreement to terminate change-in-control clauses in their employment contracts.