Performance reports

State Bank in Atlanta convinced a jittery seller to work out a deal by promising to do an all-cash purchase if its own stock faltered.

UMB Financial took its lumps last year when its funds management business suffered from large outflows. The challenge prompted UMB to tighten up on expenses and rely more on revenue tied to its balance sheet.

Banks need to be self-critical in evaluating a growth strategy’s chance of success while realizing that it’s hard to rebound from a growth failure.

The financial services sector would benefit from companies — banks included — submitting dedicated disclosures on the impact of climate change.

For a more immediate payoff, community banks should focus marketing on older customers that are facing a new set of economic pressures.

JPMorgan attracted stronger support for its annual say-on-pay vote after dozens of conversations with major shareholders prompted it to make a series of changes to executive compensation.

HCSB Financial in South Carolina recently raised $45 million from a group led by Castle Creek Capital Partners, showing that big investors are still comfortable placing bets on financial firms. The challenge for banks like HCSB will be to find ways to put that capital to work years after other institutions were able to start playing offense.

Following the scandal-tinged departure of CEO Renaud Laplanche, the company is contemplating drastic steps to restore the confidence of loan buyers. Scenarios that would have been far-fetched a short time ago — such as diluting shareholders and funding loans off its own balance sheet — are now under consideration.

Six years ago the family that controlled Home State Bancorp in Colorado said they were in it for the long haul. But, after a methodical review process tied to estate planning, family members decided to cash in their holdings.

Harmony Bank in Jackson, N.J., has exited the Small Business Lending Fund. The $ 295 million-asset company said in a press release Tuesday that it paid about $3.5 million to redeem roughly 3,500 shares of preferred stock.

Requiring the bank regulators to disclose the numerical grades they give for capital, assets and other factors would subject them to the same market discipline they demand for banks.

Steve Streit founded the nation's largest prepaid card issuer and took it public during a long tenure as CEO. Now he's locked in a nasty fight to keep his job and defend his reputation.

Seacoast Banking in Florida is facing pressure from CapGen, its biggest investor, to generate better returns or sell to a larger institution.

Banc of California bulked up quickly in the aftermath of the financial crisis, first through acquisitions and now with organic growth. CEO Steven Sugarman discusses how his bank manages its exposure while preparing to cross an important regulatory threshold.

Short Hills, New Jersey, is among the richest communities in the U.S. The directors of a local savings and loan get paid accordingly.

New rules have made it more challenging to originate mortgages without drawing attention from regulators. Mercantile Bank in Michigan, however, believes that positive trends in its biggest markets are incentive enough to hire lenders and improve its systems.

The $69 billion-asset company in Dallas said in a press release Tuesday that Karen Parkhill resigned on Friday to "pursue other opportunities." Parkhill, who had also been the company's vice chairman, had been with Comerica since 2011.

At least one banker has gone public with expectations that the OCC will force his institution to hold more capital. More could soon follow.

Some buyers are hanging in there, but as OnDeck Capital's disappointing first-quarter results show, investors who acquire and securitize marketplace loans are heading for hills. Among the reasons: fear of defaults, unfavorable pricing and shrinking loan yields.

As banks nationwide trim their branch personnel, they must also make sure the remaining staff in their brick-and-mortar stores know what they are doing.