Sandler O'Neill included several new additions to its annual ranking of top-performing small banks and thrifts, suggesting that small lenders are slowly returning to pre-crisis health.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended Sept. 21.

City National Bank of Florida in Miami has made two executive changes as its sale to a Chilean bank nears.

Managing the royalties of oil and gas landowners could generate big new fee opportunities for well-positioned banks.

Sterling Financial in Spokane, Wash., has gone ahead with rebranding its California operations as Argent Bank despite its recent merger announcement.

Investar Bank in Baton Rouge, La., is getting ready to go public.

First Republic Bank (FRC) in San Francisco has acquired a minority stake in Nigro Karlin Segal & Feldstein, a Los Angeles business management firm that caters to the stars.

NewBridge Bancorp (NBBC) in Greensboro, N.C., has received regulatory approval to buy struggling mutual Security Savings Bank in Southport, N.C.

Midland States Bancorp in Effingham, Ill., has agreed to buy Heartland Bank in St. Louis to lower its reliance on interest income, strengthen fee income and improve its chances at going public.

Cordia Bancorp (BVA) in Midlothian, Va., has hired Mark Severson as chief financial officer.

Wesley A. Brown, a Denver investment banker and member of the Alpine Rescue Team, is trained to save your bank — or you, if you get stuck in the mountains of Colorado. Recent floods there put his skills, and those of his teammates, to the test.

Self-Help Federal Credit Union, the California community development credit union that bought Second Federal Savings & Loan last year, has officially reopened the failed thrift in conjunction with Chicago's Resurrection Project.

Institutional loan volume is expected to hit $500 billion or more this year or next as investors look to capitalize on higher interest rates. However, the prospects for leveraged lending by banks is murkier, according to a survey by the Loan Syndications and Trading Association.

East West of Los Angeles hopes that buying MetroCorp in Houston will help its Chinese clients develop business ties in the Lone Star State.

Midsize players will seek to increase geographic coverage, acquire deposits with little-to-no premium and attract clients away from their competition through mergers and acquisitions.

MidSouth Bancorp in Lafayette, La., plans to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. It will keep its current ticker symbol, MSL.

Westby Co-Op Credit Union in Wisconsin has agreed to buy the deposits and loans of a Walmart branch from Citizens Community Bancorp (CZWI) in Eau Claire, Wis.

East West Bancorp (EWBC) in Pasadena, Calif., has agreed to pay $273 million in stock and cash for MetroCorp Bancshares (MCBI) in Houston.

NewStar Financial, the Boston business lender backed by private-equity firms Corsair Capital and Capital Z Partners Management, is exploring a sale, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

TD Bank is content with its branch network along the East Coast and, for now, is not interested in deals that would take it into new markets, according to its chief financial officer.