The Buffalo, N.Y., bank has been freed from an enforcement order that required an upgrade of its anti-money-laundering compliance systems. The Fed had ordered the upgrade as a condition for approval of its acquisition of Hudson City Bancorp.
Southwest Bancorp, frustrated with a lethargic stock price, opted to find a buyer last summer. It was holding talks with Simmons First when the post-election run-up in bank stocks gave its shares an unexpected lift. Did it do the right thing by proceeding?
The Blairsville, Ga., bank is in growth mode with strong second-quarter lending performances and two deals in the works, but its provision for loan losses was described as too low in one research note.
The company agreed to buy MainSource Financial in Indiana for $1 billion, creating a Midwestern bank that will have more than 200 branches and $13 billion in assets.
The New York company, which is preparing to buy Astoria Financial, reported year-over-year increases in commercial-and-industrial and commercial real estate loans.
