One in four banks are eyeing wealth management as a way to boost noninterest income and deepen customer relationships, according to a new survey by American Banker and SourceMedia Research.

Regional and small banks are providing M&A advisory services to their commercial customers as a way to drive fee income, deepen client relationships and differentiate themselves from rivals.

If finalized and then approved by regulators, the combination of the Des Moines and Seattle Home Loan banks would be the first voluntary merger in the system’s history.

First Bancorp in Southern Pines, N.C., posted a 20% jump in its second-quarter earnings as its provision for loan losses declined and fee income increased.

Banks can boost mortgage profits with the help of direct call centers and products like adjustable-rate mortgages and jumbo loans, writes Stratmor Group's Garth Graham.

Brookline Bancorp in Boston reported higher quarterly earnings because of loan growth.

Banc of California in Irvine reported a jump in second-quarter profits, fueled by strong growth in its loan portfolio.

TFS Financial in Cleveland reported that its quarterly profits increased as net interest income rose and its loan-loss provision shrank.

Old National Bancorp in Evansville, Ind., has spent the last year buying its way into higher-growth markets, including a deal announced Monday in Grand Rapids, Mich. CEO Bob Jones is still antsy to expand in Louisville but acknowledges that shareholders want him to take a break from M&A.

EverBank Financial in Jacksonville, Fla. reported a decline in second-quarter earnings as loan servicing fees and loan production revenue plunged.

Home Bancshares in Conway, Ark., has agreed to acquire Broward Financial Holdings in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Most bankers expect to see deposits flow out of their coffers next year if interest rates rise as expected, and some are starting to estimate how many. Whether the trend is good or bad depends on each bank's specific situation, but everybody has to get ready.

Cullen/Frost Bankers in San Antonio, Texas, reported an uptick second-quarter earnings, boosted by its recent acquisition of WNB Bancshares.

Doral Financial, the holding company for Puerto Rico's second-largest mortgage lender, is trying to sell itself in parts, people with knowledge of the matter said, to maintain compliance with capital requirements.

Tighter margins held back BOK Financial in Tulsa, Okla., last quarter. The $28 billion-asset company reported a profit of $76.7 million, down 4% from the same period last year.

Bank owners can make more objective decisions about whether it's the right time to sell by comparing the value of holding onto the bank to its private market price and instating an external review process, writes consultant J.V. Rizzi.

Valley National Bancorp in Wayne, N.J., reported that second-quarter earnings declined because of a significant drop in noninterest income.

Community banks are disappearing and big banks' global power is on the wane. Regulators should take steps to reverse these trends so that all Americans have access to the financial services they need, according to the American Bankers Association's Wayne Abernathy.

South State reported higher second quarter earnings compared to last year, as the Columbia, S.C., company expanded through the combination of SCBT and First Financial Holdings.

Victor K. Nichols, a former executive at Experian, has joined the board of the Bank of Hawaii in Honolulu.