Ahmanson had seen men get rich by focusing on the government's priorities. Now it wanted homes and mortgages. He would build a business to meet this demand.

First Scottsdale Bank had $80 million in assets, but then it agreed to buy a $224 million-asset competitor and outbid five others to acquire a $45 million-asset bank from the FDIC.

Equity Bancshares in Wichita, Kan., may use the Troubled Asset Relief Program to buy a stake in Blue Valley Ban Corp, an in-state rival.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended April 20.

The $133 million-asset Jefferson Bancorp said Monday that it had acquired 10 branches from Carrollton that will operate under the Bay Bank name. The company has $480 million in assets and 22 branches around Baltimore.

The law firm Proskauer has lured a veteran lawyer/investment banker from UBS.

Regulators seized two banks in Florida, and one in Kentucky, in a trio of failures Friday.

First Horizon National (FHN) in Memphis, Tenn., boosted profits by cutting costs in the first quarter.

BB&T wants to trim expenses, and its effort should include little things like conserving electricity at the office, CEO Kelly King says.

Associated Banc-Corp of Green Bay, Wis., has made significant strides in its bid to become more efficient, but CEO Philip Flynn admits it has much more work to do.

Revenue is expected to strengthen at least a little in the second quarter, but cost-cutting is here to stay until the economy really improves.

The Buffalo, N.Y., company is content to book loans and cut costs rather than expand aggressively with acquisitions.

Shares of City National rose slightly Friday after the Los Angeles company reported strong first-quarter loan growth and good expense management.

First Niagara Financial Group (FNFG) in Buffalo, N.Y., generated higher earnings in its first quarter since the ouster of its chief executive.

Taylor Capital Group's quarterly profit rose as revenue from its mortgage-banking operations remained strong.

Victory Capital Management did not fit with KeyCorp's retail strategy so the Cleveland company decided to sell it and has since asked regulators to let it use capital from the deal to buy back shares, CEO Beth Mooney said.

CrossFirst Holdings in Leawood, Kan., has agreed to buy Tulsa National Bancshares in Oklahoma.

The executive suite at Texan Bank in Sugar Land, Texas, has become a family affair. The $80.7 million-asset bank recently named veteran banker Kenneth Koncaba Jr. chief executive officer.

Expense related to failed bank deals weighed on Simmons First National (SFNC) in Pine Bluff, Ark., in the first quarter.

Fee income and securities sales lifted Lakeland Bancorp (LBAI) in Oak Ridge, N.J., in the first quarter.