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Banc of California in Irvine got a shot in the arm from its acquisition of 20 Popular Community Bank branches in the fourth quarter.

Bank of America has hired former Duke Energy executive Brett Carter as chief operating officer for its global technology and operations unit.

PrivateBancorp, despite having one of banking's most rate-sensitive loan books, has grown earnings by relying on fee diversification and new specialty lines. CEO Larry Richman discusses the growth strategy and what he expects when rates do finally rise.

BlackRock has hired Andrew Marquardt as a managing director in its financial markets advisory group.

The Conference of State Bank Supervisors wants Congress to adopt a formal community bank definition, based on qualitative factors such as local governance structure and business models.

KeyCorp has named Mark Danahy president of its mortgage operations. Danahy had been managing director of Citigroup's U.S. mortgage operation from July 2011 to May 2014 and, before that, was president and chief executive of PHH Mortgage.

The trade group's leader touted progress in areas such as qualified mortgages and flood insurance, but he also encouraged members to keep speaking out against overzealous supervision.

HomeTrust Bancshares created a special call center and encouraged tellers to invite ATM customers inside the branches to answer questions and to differentiate the company from Bank of America in terms of fees.

There was plenty for banks to be encouraged about in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s most recent Quarterly Banking Profile, which reported comprehensive industry earnings for the fourth quarter and all of 2014. Community bank lending is showing steady growth, capital levels keep rising and the FDIC's insurance reserves are stabilizing. But the numbers also contained worrisome signs. Here are key takeaways from the report.

The California company has poached lenders from larger rivals, while expanding into specialty finance lines. Those moves have positioned Opus for a growth spurt that should outpace organic growth at most other community banks.

Cambridge Bancorp in Massachusetts will soon have a new president and chief executive.

Vincent Hui, senior director with Cornerstone Advisors Inc. in Scottsdale, Ariz., said he expects interest rates will go up "a little bit" in 2015, but nowhere near the sharp rise some forecasters predicted near the end of 2014.

The Texas banker, who chaired the ICBA during the financial crisis, feels much better about the regulatory environment for smaller banks. She just wishes that interest rates would finally rise.

The lobbying group's agenda typically includes a general session featuring top regulators. But with the ICBA's Washington Policy Summit two months away, the group opted to steer the focus of its annual convention toward education.

Banco Santander named a new chief executive for its unit that serves as the holding company for its U.S. retail bank, Santander Bank, and its subprime auto lender, Santander Consumer USA Holdings.

Jack Hartings is a vocal proponent of reduced regulation for small banks. But the CEO of Peoples Bank in Ohio wants Washington to force other industries to share the burden of improving cybersecurity and cleaning up after breaches.

BancorpSouth in Tupelo, Miss., is planning to add a former Bank of America executive to its board.

Pamela Joseph, U.S. Bancorp's vice chair of payment services and a 10-year veteran of the Minneapolis-based bank, plans to retire in mid-2015.