Ameris Bancorp in Georgia wanted to buy a premium-finance business but settled for a joint venture, blessed by its regulators, after being flagged for insufficient Bank Secrecy Act compliance.

United Community Banks in Blairsville, Ga., is searching for a new financial chief officer.

CVB Financial in Ontario, Calif., and Valley Commerce Bancorp in Visalia, Calif., have amended the terms of their planned merger.

New York Community Bancorp in Westbury and Astoria Financial in Lake Success, N.Y., have terminated their merger.

The banking system ultimately needs a balanced approach to capital, which allows banks to efficiently function while also maintaining financial stability.

Lloyds Banking Group Plc agreed to buy Bank of America Corp.'s MBNA credit-card business in the U.K. for 1.9 billion pounds ($2.4 billion) in cash, marking its first major deal since being rescued by British taxpayers eight years ago.

BancorpSouth in Tupelo, Miss., has bought Waguespack & Associates Insurance in Gonzales, La.

MainSource Financial Group in Greensburg, Ind., has agreed to buy FCB Bancorp in Louisville, Ky., for about $56.9 million. The cash-and-stock transaction is expected to close in the second quarter.

Longtime CEO Richard Kovacevich retired from Wells Fargo almost a decade ago, but understanding the scandal that has engulfed the bank requires a close look at the cross-selling mindset that he left for his successors. It was a culture in which the sales often justified the means.

Banc of California in Irvine and PL Capital have reached an apparent truce, as the bank agreed to consider letting the activist investor group submit two nominees to next year's board election.

Dickinson Financial in Kansas City, Mo., has agreed to buy Community Bancshares of Kansas in Overland Park.

Ameris Bancorp in Moultrie, Ga., has entered into a consent order with regulators tied to the Bank Secrecy Act.

Barclays is preparing to tell 7,000 clients to do more trading with the firm or find another bank, the latest move in an industrywide trend of winnowing down customer lists to the ones that produce significant profits.

Old Second Bancorp in Aurora, Ill., raised $45 million from a debt sale.

Pacific Metro Bank would cater to Chinese-Americans around Atlanta. The application process is worth watching since the group is seeking the first Georgia charter in seven years and would be based in a market where more than 90 banks have failed since 2007.

The $14.3 billion-asset company said in a press release Thursday that it will sell about 4.3 million shares of common stock.

Capital Business Credit, a New York-based business finance company, has been acquired by a San Francisco-based lender.

Colony Bankcorp in Fitzgerald, Ga., has bought back more of its former Troubled Asset Relief Program shares held by private investors.

Ed Francis, a former executive at Hancock Holding, is seeking to buy an existing bank rather than pursue a new charter. He explains why he is prefers a complex bankruptcy process over applying to form a new bank.

First Internet Bancorp in Fishers, Ind., disclosed in a regulatory filing that it is looking to raise $25 million capital through a stock offering.