Southern States Bancshares in Anniston, Ala., has agreed to buy Columbus Community Bank in Georgia for $21.4 million.

CIT Group in New York reported lower second-quarter profit, as higher expenses and a drop in fee income offset loan growth. The sale of a student-loan business last year partly skewed the results.

Flagstar Bank far outpaced expectations for its second-quarter results due to high loan sales and a strengthened portfolio from the subtraction of lower performing loans.

The Conference of State Bank Supervisors recently challenged college students to examine how community banks survived the financial crisis, and the contest highlighted innovative strategies used by Main Street banks such as Bank of American Fork in Utah.

Blockchain technology can be used to help financial-services institutions accomplish their most important goal — improving customer service, Blythe Masters said Tuesday.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group plans to raise as much as $1.9 billion in the latest sale of shares in its U.S. unit Citizens Financial Group to investors.

Fair-value accounting and merger costs took big bites out of Western Alliance Bancorp. in Phoenix last quarter.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended July 25.

Independent Bank Group in McKinney, Texas, has agreed to buy Grand Bank in Dallas for $80.1 million.

Suncrest Bank in Visalia, Calif., has agreed to buy Sutter Community Bank in Yuba City, Calif., for $9.4 million in stock.

Eagle Bancorp in Bethesda, Md., has sold its indirect auto loan portfolio to MainStreet Bank in Fairfax, Va.

A new ad from the U.S. unit of Toronto-Dominion Bank that features a same-sex couple is more than a social statement, as it also says a lot about the fragmentation, context and consumer control that are part of modern TV viewing habits, according to the company's top marketing executive.

Pinnacle Financial Partners in Nashville, Tenn., plans to raise $60 million in subordinated debt in a private placement.

First Financial Bancorp in Cincinnati has agreed to buy Oak Street Holdings, a provider of commercial financing to the insurance industry.

"Stay tuned" for the Houston bank's first deal since April 2014, CEO David Zalman tells investors.

The bankruptcy of Wingspan Portfolio Advisors epitomizes the existential crisis facing default servicing. This once-thriving sector of the mortgage industry now finds itself declining in lockstep with the drop in loan delinquencies and foreclosures.

Cornerstone Bank in York, Neb., has agreed to acquire Guide Rock State Bank in Nebraska.

The Ohio company has been giving customers longer grace periods to address overdraft charges. While it has seen service charges decline, the company has been adding customers and checking accounts.

City National Bank in Los Angeles said Thursday that its second-quarter profit rose 5% from the same period last year, driven by heavier demand for commercial loans.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill designed to fund certain government agencies, but which also included a bill by Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala, to provide regulatory relief for community banks.