Grant Thornton's 13th Annual Survey of Community Bank Executives This survey explores how bankers juggle myriad banking and business issues and ensure good governance, safe and sound operations and profitability.

New Banks Forming To Target Niche Markets With the radical changes in demographics in this country, a new batch of de novo banks has cropped up to reach out to both recent immigrants and multi-generational ethnic markets. Though the strategy of niche marketing is by no means new, the execution is increasingly innovative as these ethnic and relationship-focused banks respond to the needs of their customers. Whether they are offering product -bending innovation, or redesigning their bricks-and-mortar locations, the approach is giving new entrants an edge over larger competitors in reaching what are largely untapped markets.

Bank mergers, formations likely to grow The number of new banks being started in metro Atlanta has not kept pace with the number of banks being acquired over the past 12 years, but experts expect a lot more of both this year.

Texas-based bank tests IPO waters Looking to expand, the president and chief executive of SNB Bancshares Inc. decided to take his financial institution public -- the state's third bank IPO in nearly six years.

Is The Small-Bank Boom Over? The past five years or so have been heady times for community bank startups. As beneficiaries of the fallout from the last wave of big-bank mergers, they've gained disgruntled customers seeking first-name service with a smile

Interest growing in local Hispanic bank Examining the changes underway that influence the health of the banking industry in the United States