First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Lakewood in Ohio has agreed to acquire Belpre Savings Bank in Belbre, Ohio.

Blue Valley Ban Corp. in Overland Park, Kan., has named an executive from a large investor in the company to its board.

Poorly paid tellers get a boost from Amalgamated Bank; Nasdaq might be getting a female CEO; parent-friendly business trips as a new PE recruitment tool, and Fidelity's Kathleen Murphy on the benefits of mentoring. Plus, motorcycles, sushi chefs and Stephen Colbert.

Banks have ramped up foreclosure activity in the past five months, with default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions at their highest levels in two years. It's a positive sign that banks are finally clearing out all the distressed loans still lingering from the housing crisis. Meanwhile, banks remain cautious about new lending, partly because of regulatory actions.

Planters Holding in Indianola, Miss., has agreed to buy Covenant Financial in Clarksdale, Miss.

There's nothing like a natural disaster to make people realize how important insurance is to the banking industry.

Bank repossessions of distressed homes hit a 30-month high in July, as financial institutions continue to work through the backlog of bubble-era loans.

While in talks to buy National Penn Bancshares, BB&T circulated an email to help key executives understand Pennsylvania’s prominent cultural and religious groups.

Horicon Bank in Horicon, Wis., has agreed to acquire a branch in Fond du Lac, Wis., from Baraboo National Bank.

Market Street Bancshares in Mount Vernon, Ill., has completed a $15 million debt offering.

Esquire Bank, a Garden City, N.Y., bank that specializes in financial services for law firms, has raised $19.1 million in a private placement of common stock.

Old National Bancorp in Evansville, Ind., has named National Guard officer Katherine White to its board.

Bankwell Financial Group in New Canaan, Conn., has issued $25.5 million in subordinated debt and it plans to exit the Small Business Lending Fund program.

AJS Bancorp in Midlothian, Ill., has hired a replacement for its chief financial officer, who resigned earlier this month.

New Jersey Community Bank's chairman has resigned, less than four months after he quit as chief executive of the Freehold bank.

M&T Bank's president and chief operating officer, Mark Czarnecki, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and plans to remain in his role at the bank while he gets treatment, the Buffalo News reported.

For some husbands and wives, wedded bliss extends beyond home and family. These dynamic duos run banks together, and their institutions share something else in common: consistent, high performance.

Depositors at mutuals in Ohio and Massachusetts have approved measures making it more difficult for their institutions to convert to stock ownership. Still, many industry observers believe the mutual industry is poised for more consolidation.

Heritage Oaks Bancorp in Paso Robles, Calif., has named Jason Castle chief financial officer, following CFO Lonny Robinson's resignation after grooming him for the job.

Heartland Bancorp in Bloomington, Ill., has agreed to buy National Bancorp in Schaumburg, Ill., Crain's Chicago Business reported.