This has been a difficult year to run a foreign-owned bank in the United States, but BBVA Compass aims to parlay a recent core overhaul into new growth opportunities in 2013, CEO Manolo Sanchez says.

First Bancorp (FBNC) in Troy, N.C. and Community Financial Shares in Glen Ellyn, Ill. have completed capital raises.

The interim chief financial officer of Capitol Bancorp has quit.

Portfolio Recovery Associates Inc., a Norfolk, Va.-based debt buyer, Friday announced a $115.3 million acquisition of certain assets from National Capital Management LLC (NCM).

Accounts receivable management firm iQor announced it has acquired the CCT Group, a global provider of contact center outsourcing solutions, from key investor Headland Capital Partners.

The Greenville, S.C., bank will acquire Resource Financial Services, which has eight offices in five states. CertusBank did not disclose the price it will pay for the four-year-old company.

The Maryland companies have moved the deadline for terminating the deal while they await Fed approval. Carrollton also said Friday that its CFO will resign in January.

The combative bank analyst has joined a small firm with little background in bank research because, he says, it promised “the freedom” to speak his mind.

A large shareholder recently sold most of her holdings in First Citizens, giving her uncle's family a majority stake in the family owned company.

Every banker is under scrutiny, but last year we pegged 10 executives as potential news makers for 2012. Most of those bankers delivered big headlines in the past year.

Among Vikram Pandit's last jobs as Citigroup's CEO officer was to decide the fate of the bank's hedge-fund unit, which employs some of his oldest colleagues. He agreed to give them most of it for free.

BB&T has extended the contract of its chief executive for three years. The $182-billion asset company said Wednesday it has eliminated a provision in Kelly King's contract that would have required him to step down when he turns 65 this September.

The Shippensburg, Pa., banking company said Thursday it has sold 172 commercial loans with a combined balance of $45.6 million to an investor group for roughly $32 million.

BV Financial, the holding company for Bay-Vanguard Federal Savings Bank, has agreed to acquire Vigilant Federal Savings Bank in a combination of two small Baltimore mutual thrifts.

First Citizens BancShares has lost a piece of its history with the resignation of a long-time director.

Chase Bank has agreed to acquire merchant offers company Bloomspot. The deal is expected to close in early 2013.

Investors Bancorp had hardly announced its deal for Roma Financial, a fellow mutual thrift in New Jersey, than speculation began whether it should buy more mutuals before it restructures and is barred from doing so.

We revisit our 10 most popular BankThink posts of 2012, based on audience page views.

Large banks could learn a lot from James Black, the CEO of Citizens Community Bank in South Hill, Va., about listening to employees, informing shareholders and setting a clear direction.

CEO Victor Karpiak will resign as chairman, and Stilwell Group will add a representative to the Washington company's board.