United Community Banks in Blairsville, Ga., has agreed to buy Palmetto Bancshares in Greenville, S.C.

Pinnacle Financial Partners in Nashville, Tenn., reported higher first-quarter profit on strong lending results.

Fulton Financial in Lancaster, Pa., reported lower first-quarter profit on a decline in net interest income and higher expenses.

Arrow Financial in Glens Falls, N.Y., reported a double-digit profit increase in the first quarter as strong loan growth in its three major business lines helped to offset flat noninterest income and higher expense.

S&T Bancorp in Indiana, Pa., reported better-than-expected earnings in the first quarter as income from loans it inherited in its acquisition of Integrity Bancshares helped to offset higher merger-related expenses.

The Georgia company has been cutting costs, while reinvesting funds in new businesses and technology. While the moves are doing little to increase near-term return on assets, they could help Synovus improve its longer-term performance.

Rep. Patrick McHenry said Democrats' resistance to passing certain regulatory relief measures is due to a leftward shift.

MB Financial's first-quarter profit rose nearly 71% from the same period last year, but lower-than-expected loan growth and expenses related to its acquisition of Taylor Capital late last year caused it to miss earnings-per-share projections.

Rabobank in Roseville, Calif., has agreed to sell a branch in California to Plumas Bancorp in Quincy, Calif.

Synovus Financial in Columbus, Ga., posted higher quarterly earnings as its loan-loss provision continued to decline.

A pair of senior banking analysts has left Sterne Agee to join Piper Jaffray. Mathew Kelley and Matthew Breese will oversee Piper Jaffray's equity research for depository institutions in the Northeast.

Chemical Financial has retooled its organizational structure as part of the Midland, Mich., company's succession planning.

Californians are entering the fourth year of drought, forcing bankers to seriously consider the long-term implications for farmers and other industries. In some instances, banks are reviewing and changing underwriting practices to address risk.

CenterState Banks in Davenport, Fla., has agreed to buy a branch from the parent of SouthBank in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

M&T Bank in Buffalo, N.Y., reported an increase in its first-quarter profit on the strength of higher mortgage banking revenue, but its results fell well short of analysts’ estimates as loan growth failed to meet expectations.

IMGCAP(1)]

OFG Bancorp in San Juan, Puerto Rico, said it will record a $24 million provision tied to a loan participation it placed on nonaccrual status.

Coastal Financial and Prime Pacific Financial Services, each based in Snohomish County, Wash., have agreed to merge.

The California company is dealing with a pool of stressed energy loans it inherited from last year's purchase of CapitalSource. The pain shouldn't make the deal less appealing, but it is likely taking up more time than management may have expected.

Digital innovation has yet to coalesce around any one executive. Chief marketing officers are ideally positioned to fill the void, since they are the natural leaders in understanding the entire customer experience from origination and sales through delivery and measurement.