Writer: Steve Dinnen

NorthWest Indiana Bancorp follows population trends east, farther into Indiana. [Continue]

Heartland Financial sets a blistering pace on M&A [Continue]

MetaBank goes big in the payments game. [Continue]

West Bank, West Des Moines, Iowa, moves into Minnesota. [Continue]

First Bank & Trust, Paris, Ill., has doubled, diversified its as sets with a three-branch expansion. [Continue]

Sioux Falls, S.D.,-based Great Western Bank plans to grow commercial lending in metro markets. [Continue]

Serving a business banking niche, First Business Financial Services, Madison, Wis., works to expand outside Wisconsin. [Continue]

Nicolet Bank of Green Bay, Wis., hopes to build on recent growth. [Continue]

Seventy percent of region’s publicly-held banks saw increase in stock price in 2014. [Continue]

What to do when your bank name resembles the name of a competitor? Different banks have dealt with this identity question in different ways. [Continue]