Credit quality

The company has also hit its goal of having half of total loans tied to customers around Atlanta.

The post-recession boom in auto loans and credit cards for borrowers with marred credit histories has been winding down in recent months.

Preferred Bank's experience with an apartment developer is a reminder of how important strict underwriting terms will be as loan demand increases, rates rise and lenders try to outdo each other.

Costs rose at the global bank, profit in North America fell 16% and questions are mounting for new CEO John Flint ahead of the release of his strategic plan.

Porter Bancorp in Kentucky spent years tackling credit and capital issues. As Limestone Bank, it will finally get back on offense.

CIT took a $22 million hit on a business loan, and overall loan growth was tepid.

The Utah company reduced the size of its loan-loss allowance, citing improvement in its energy book at minimal losses from Hurricane Harvey.

First Personal Bank in Illinois tried — and failed — to sell itself three times. The bank finally found an eager buyer after tackling several lingering problems.

The Los Angeles bank also benefited from a reduced reliance on costlier certificates of deposit.

A $135 million increase in litigation expenses related to its 2011 acquisition of Wilmington Trust overshadowed a wider net interest margin and improved credit quality for the Buffalo, N.Y., company in the first quarter.