Enterprise Financial and Reliance Bancshares in St. Louis, under pressure to grow like most community banks, believe they have figured out how to expand into faraway markets yet avoid the mistakes that cost many banks during the financial crisis.

TGR Financial in Naples, Fla., has agreed to buy Shamrock Bank of Florida.

H&R Block Inc.'s plan to sell its bank and exit Federal Reserve oversight stalled as Republic Bancorp Inc. said it rescinded a plan to buy the unit.

First National Bank of New York is selling to Bridge Bancorp 18 months after its recapitalization because additional capital was elusive. For Bridge, the deal expands its reach closer to New York City. Similar scenarios will happen elsewhere.

O'Neill, a co-founder of Sandler O'Neill & Partners, knows skeptics are questioning his plan to start an investment bank. But there are thousands of banks and they will always need M&A advice, he says.

Mortgage firm PHH Corp. (PHH) is considering a plan to split and sell its mortgage and auto fleet leasing businesses, according to a Reuters report Monday.

A wave of management changes at Korean-American banks highlights the difficulties of filling key posts in a niche banking industry.

A group that includes the co-founder of Sandler O'Neill & Partners has started a new investment bank aimed at community and regional banks.

Low interest rates and fierce competition for loans will drive down third-quarter earnings at most large banks, analysts say.

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is giving $1 million apiece to five African American-owned banks in an effort to create more lending opportunities for people and businesses in minority communities.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended Oct. 5

Community bankers should opt out of the requirement to deduct unrealized gains and losses from AOCI; be aware of the challenges and opportunities that Basel III creates for M&A and capital raising; and stay on guard for changes to risk weighting of mortgages, experts say.

Several community banks are scrambling to address Tarp balances, either by selling or refinancing, as the dividend rate on those shares is set to nearly double.

The Treasury Department plans to auction stakes in eight more banks as it continues winding down the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

First Farmers Bank & Trust in Converse, Ind., has received regulatory approval to acquire most of the Bank of Indiana.

Community organizations in California are urging regulators to postpone approval of PacWest Bancorp's (PACW) acquisition of CapitalSource (CSE), arguing that PacWest lacks CapitalSource's commitment to serving community needs and economically disadvantaged groups.

Royal Bank of Scotland is said to be looking for a buyer for its 105-branch network in Chicago, but finding a buyer might be difficult because of market conditions and regulatory issues.

Royal Bank of Scotland's U.S. subsidiary is adding staff in lending and wealth management under new CEO Bruce Van Saun as it looks looks to boost its loan portfolio and improve its revenues ahead of its widely anticipated public stock offering.

Federal Reserve Board Gov. Jeremy Stein on Friday laid out potential regulatory remedies to help lessen the risks associated with fire sales.

Ally Financial has completed the sale of its Brazil operations to General Motors Financial Co., a subsidiary of the automaker GM, it said. Ally (which was once itself a GM subsidiary) received $611 million in the sale.