HomeTrust Bancshares in Asheville, N.C., plans to close nine branches in three states as part of a broader efficiency effort. The $3.6 billion-asset company said in a press release Tuesday that it will also restructure its balance sheet and bring Small Business Administration loan servicing in-house. The moves are expected to increase annual pretax income by $10.1 million. HomeTrust said the initiative should also increase return on assets by 20

Pinnacle Financial Partners in Nashville, Tenn., will enter Huntsville, Ala., after hiring nine former bankers from BBVA USA.The $35 billion-asset Pinnacle said in a press release Monday that it brought on four financial advisers, a credit adviser, an office leader and three support and processing associates. The group is led by Jason Baldwin, a former market CEO for North Alabama at BBVA. Baldwin will serve as Pinnacle’s Huntsville regional president. Baldwin

Cornerstone Home Lending in Houston has agreed to buy Roscoe State Bank in Texas.Cornerstone did not disclose the price it will pay for the $213 million-asset Roscoe State or when it expects to complete the acquisition. The acquisition "will allow Cornerstone to significantly expand product and service offerings to our hundreds of thousands of customers and referral sources throughout the country, will provide a vast array of additional home lending products

We're trying a new format to make content about a merger's background easier to digest. Rather than provide a lengthy article based of the regulatory filing, we' re going to include bullet points highlighting key aspects of a deal.First, the proposed deal's financials:New York Community in Westbury agreed on April 26 to buy Flagstar Bancorp in Troy, Mich., for $2.6 billion in a deal that is expected to close by

Brookline Bancorp in Boston is shaking up several top executive posts.The $8.6 billion-asset company said in a press release Monday that Paul Perrault, its CEO, has also become its chairman. He succeeded Joseph Slotnik, who will serve as Brookline’s lead director. Brookline also promoted two executives to serve as co-presidents, succeeding Perrault. Michael McCurdy had been the company’s general counsel and chief risk officer, while Carl Carlson had been chief financial and

CrossFirst Bankshares in Leawood, Kan., will enter Phoenix after hiring a former CIT Group banker.The $6 billion-asset company said in a press release Monday that it Kevin Halloran will become its Phoenix market president.“We believe Phoenix is a great opportunity given the region’s favorable demographics, strong population, and business growth,” Mike Maddox, CrossFirst’s president and CEO, said in the release.“As an entrepreneurial bank, we are excited about the opportunity to

Organizers in western North Carolina have received conditional approval to open a bank. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on June 1 approved an application for deposit insurance submitted by Highlands Banking Co. The proposed bank would be based in Highlands, a town near North Carolina’s borders with Georgia and South Carolina.The group must raise roughly $13.8 million before opening, according to the FDIC’s order. The proposed bank’s organizers said in an

Square has made a multimillion investment in Southern Bancorp in Arkadelphia, Ark.Square said in a press release Thursday that it had invested the final $25 million of a $100 million commitment to minority and underserved communities. The $1.9 billion-asset Southern said in a separate release that it had received funds from that investment. “We are appreciative to Square, Inc. for both their commitment and their vision for reaching minority and underserved