As voters in California, Florida and nine other states decide whether to legalize marijuana, the results may force Congress to resolve differences between federal and state laws that have paralyzed much of the banking industry.

WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve's periodic survey of bank loan officers indicates that a decline in banks' share of commercial and industrial lending activity is likely related to nonbanks' ability to outcompete on both price and loan terms.

Prosperity Bancshares is hopeful it will be able to announce its next bank deal in the near future. Such chatter provides hope that Texas banks are moving past oil concerns and renewing merger talks.

Trends in commercial real estate lending, which has reached record levels at U.S. banks, are unsustainable, Fitch Ratings warned.

The Justice Department has widened its investigation of Fulton Financial’s mortgage lending practices to include four new units.

Gulf Coast Community Bank in Florida agreed to sell itself last month after spending six frustrating years trying to tackle credit issues and angling for a settlement tied to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Customers Bancorp in Wyomissing, Pa., is raising another $52.5 million from the latest in a series of public offerings this year.

Nicolet Bankshares in Green Bay, Wis., has agreed to buy First Menasha Bancshares in Neenah, Wis.

Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida in Stuart has agreed to buy GulfShore Bancshares in Tampa, Fla.

MB Financial in Chicago has appointed an executive from an advanced analytics company to its board. The $19 billion-asset company said in a press release Thursday that Sunil "Sonny" Garg is the energy solutions leader at Uptake.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has received five deposit insurance applications so far this year – an indication that the agency's open-for-business message is being heard by the industry.

Regulators have pressed banks to watch out for rising concentrations of commercial real estate loans. Some banks have paid heed, but others are skyrocketing past recommended thresholds.

Malvern Bancorp in Paoli, Pa., is planning to open a commercial lending office in a new market.

Bay Banks of Virginia in Kilmarnock has agreed to buy Virginia BanCorp in Petersburg.

The U.S. is the only industrialized nation without mandated paid parental leave, but innovative leave policies are an opportunity to attract and retain employees in a highly competitive industry.

Opus Bank in Irvine, Calif., which reported a third-quarter loss tied to credit issues, has elevated two lending officers to executive-level posts.

Heartland Financial in Dubuque, Iowa, is looking to raise $53.5 million through a public offering.

Consumer compliance was already an important issue for regulators who vet bank deals, but it is expected to move up on their priority list after Wells' phony-account saga. Banks that seek M&A approvals should make sure their cross-sale and incentives policies — along with those of their targets — are bulletproof.

The former chairman of the failed Premier Bank in Wilmette, Ill., was sentenced to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to defrauding the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program.

If modified, the cybersecurity standards in New York State are a step in the right direction to protect banks and consumers.