Ameris Bancorp in Moultrie, Ga., plans to close 10 branches in an effort to save about $5 million a year in operating costs.

Centrue Financial in Ottawa, Ill., plans to sell 4.8 million shares on behalf of stockholders. The shares would be worth $77 million based on the most recent price of $16 per share.

Nicolet Bankshares in Green Bay, Wis., has redeemed about half of its outstanding preferred stock in the Small Business Lending Fund.

1st Century Bancshares in Los Angeles has filed plans to raise $30 million through a sale of common stock.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended September 26.

The $4.8 billion-asset HomeStreet said in a press release Monday that it will pay $49.8 million in stock, or $11.70 a share, and $5.5 million in cash for the $200 million-asset Orange County Business Bank.

BB&T in Winston-Salem, N.C., will close five National Penn Bancshares branches in Pennsylvania after it completes its acquisition of the Allentown, Pa., company.

Pinnacle Bancorp in Central City, Neb., has agreed to buy Woodhaven National Bank in Fort Worth, Texas.

Cardinal Financial made a big push into wealth management a decade ago. Today, it remains an inconsistent business, though management is optimistic about the future.

Porter Bancorp in Louisville, Ky., has Edmond Seifried to its board. Seifried, 68, is executive director of the Sheshunoff Affiliation Program, which provides education and an idea exchange to community bankers.

River Valley Bancorp could face a challenge from an investor who is upset over some of the Madison, Ind., company’s policies and procedures.

Federal officials on Thursday ordered Hudson City Savings Bank to pay more than $27 million to resolve redlining allegations, the largest order of its kind and one that is likely to put larger banks on notice that redlining cases will be aggressively pursued.

The marketplace lender is paying $30 million in cash plus an undisclosed amount of stock. It plans to use BillGuard’s apps, which come with detailed information about their users’ financial habits, to attract new borrowers.

Citigroup will close its Boston branches to focus on areas where the lender has a bigger presence just months after describing the city as a key market.

In an effort to get a head start on the feeding frenzy, Malvern Federal Savings Bank in Paoli, Pa., will hold job fairs to gobble up employees laid off by BB&T in Pennsylvania.

The acquisition would be Alerus' first since it bought Private Bank Minnesota in Minneapolis in June 2014. The Beacon deal would boost Alerus' total assets in Minnesota to about $771 million.

While banks have significantly decreased their problem assets from their 2010 peak, sour credits remain much higher than in 2006. A number of banks have been reluctant to sell these assets because of low interest rates and a struggle to find better investments.

Codorus Valley Bancorp in York, Pa., has hired Dwight Utz as its chief operating officer. Utz succeeded Mike Allen, who resigned in March and is now executive-in-residence of The Graham Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Studies at Penn State University.

First Niagara Financial Group Inc. is exploring a sale of the firm or other opportunities, according to people briefed on the matter. The bank holding company's shares rose in extended trading.

Chile's Banco de Credito e Inversiones has received regulatory approval to acquire City National Bank of Florida, more than two years after the deal was announced.