Despite its experience angling deals, Winston-Salem-based BB&T couldn't reel in FloridaFirst Bancorp.

• Position: Regional Report - Brief Article

Despite its experience angling deals, Winston-Salem-based BB&T couldn't reel in FloridaFirst Bancorp. It signed a contract in October 2002 to buy the Lakeland, Fla.-based bank for $134.8 million but dropped the plan six months later, after the U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision balked at backing the sale because three years hadn't passed since FloridaFirst converted to a wholly share-holder-owned...