BBCN execs took a difficult path to build the largest Korean-American bank, but a successful merger in L.A. and a deal in Seattle have put it on course to become a West Coast player — and maybe more.

Banking was a tough business to thrive in over the past year. These ten executives stood out for savvy moves that enabled their companies to beat the odds.

In a market where banks have been massively devalued, BankUnited's CEO says executives will have to focus on creating value over the next few years to sell at attractive prices.

The landscape has changed radically in the last two decades. In most states, the number of banks has fallen sharply. But some states have emerged as storehouses for the nation's lending giants.

Wells Fargo (WFC) has agreed to pay up to $2.5 million in attorneys' fees to settle two lawsuits that stem from its purchase of Wachovia in 2008.

Orrstown Financial has dealt with a wave of bad news over the past two years, but CEO Thomas Quinn believes he's got the Pennsylvania company turned around. He and CFO David Boyle discuss their hard decisions and outlook.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended December 22.

United Community Bancorp in Lawrenceburg, Ind., has completed a crucial step in its conversion to a public company from a mutual.

This has been a difficult year to run a foreign-owned bank in the United States, but BBVA Compass aims to parlay a recent core overhaul into new growth opportunities in 2013, CEO Manolo Sanchez says.

First Bancorp (FBNC) in Troy, N.C. and Community Financial Shares in Glen Ellyn, Ill. have completed capital raises.

The interim chief financial officer of Capitol Bancorp has quit.

Portfolio Recovery Associates Inc., a Norfolk, Va.-based debt buyer, Friday announced a $115.3 million acquisition of certain assets from National Capital Management LLC (NCM).

Accounts receivable management firm iQor announced it has acquired the CCT Group, a global provider of contact center outsourcing solutions, from key investor Headland Capital Partners.

The Greenville, S.C., bank will acquire Resource Financial Services, which has eight offices in five states. CertusBank did not disclose the price it will pay for the four-year-old company.

The Maryland companies have moved the deadline for terminating the deal while they await Fed approval. Carrollton also said Friday that its CFO will resign in January.

The combative bank analyst has joined a small firm with little background in bank research because, he says, it promised “the freedom” to speak his mind.

A large shareholder recently sold most of her holdings in First Citizens, giving her uncle's family a majority stake in the family owned company.

Every banker is under scrutiny, but last year we pegged 10 executives as potential news makers for 2012. Most of those bankers delivered big headlines in the past year.

Among Vikram Pandit's last jobs as Citigroup's CEO officer was to decide the fate of the bank's hedge-fund unit, which employs some of his oldest colleagues. He agreed to give them most of it for free.

BB&T has extended the contract of its chief executive for three years. The $182-billion asset company said Wednesday it has eliminated a provision in Kelly King's contract that would have required him to step down when he turns 65 this September.