Standard & Poor's warned Thursday a further slowdown in the global economy and another knock to market confidence could hasten deleveraging among European banks, a development that could have a significant impact on Asian financial markets.

Customers Bancorp, led by Jay Sidhu, is set to go public. The one-time Sovereign Bank chief and others say he has learned from the past about how to balance internal growth and acquisitions.

If the anticipated wave of merger-and-acquisition activity in the banking industry ever hits, Blackhawk Bancorp in Beloit, Wis., wants to be ready for it.

Demand for these deals has risen in a liquid market, issuers are plentiful — but returns vary.

Electronic payments products are boosting revenue for core providers Fiserv and Jack Henry & Associates.

Atlantic Coast Financial (ACFC) of Jacksonville, Fla., reported a narrower loss in the first quarter than in previous quarters as it reduced its overhead and reiterated that it is still considering selling itself.

One of the obstacles to an acquisition is that the offers never make it to the board. They tend to come first through the target's CEO, who stands to lose a job (and compensation) in any sale.

Bryn Mawr Trust Company in Pennsylvania is expanding its banking operations into Delaware to go along with its wealth management business there.

EverBank Financial in Jacksonville, Fla., has reduced the size of its planned initial public offering, saying in an SEC filing it will offer 19.2 million shares to the public at $11 to $12 each, not the 12 to $14 each initially planned.

Fulton County, Ga. officials have hired four debt-collection agencies to pursue some $7 million in past-due fines and fees.

LAS VEGAS — Troubled Silver State Schools CU said this afternoon it lost another $3.5 million for the first quarter, erasing all of its remaining net worth and leaving it only with the emergency assistance provided by its private deposit insurer ASI.

Ovation Holdings Inc. has agreed to buy most of Royal Palm Bank in Florida from Mercantile Bancorp.

Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB) in Maine has struck its first deal in its 125-year history, announcing late Tuesday that it is buying substantially all of the assets and deposits of Border Trust Company in Augusta.

The San Luis Obispo, Calif., bank in five years went from a start-up to the winner in a bidding war between two bank suitors. Picking a good location and keeping its nose clean paid off, CEO Mark Crawford said.

Tired of sifting through struggling banks looking for a savior, some aspiring buyers are approaching healthy banks about acquisitions.

Continuing its rapid expansion throughout the Northeast, Berkshire Hills Bancorp (BHLB) in Pittsfield, Mass., said Tuesday that it has acquired Greenpark Mortgage Corporation of Needham, Mass.

Executive compensation has been an important topic in the investor community for over a decade. Unfortunately, shareholders have gone largely unheard and the issue has been little more than a blip on the radar of corporate America.

Eagle Bancorp (EGBN) of Bethesda, Md., could raise up to $35 million for general corporate purposes, including potential acquisitions and organic growth.

Independent Bank Corp. (INDB) of Rockland, Mass., has agreed to acquire Central Bancorp (CEBK) of Somerville, Mass., for $54.8 million in cash and stock.

Like any self-conscious Chicagoan, Ed Wehmer is hoping his actions – in this case an advertising campaign at Wrigley Field – aren’t perpetuating the Chicago Cubs’ curse.