PETOSKEY — Mercantile Bank Corp. has expanded further in the northern Lower Peninsula with the opening of a lending office in Northern Michigan.

GRAND RAPIDS — Private equity firm Blackford Capital has added to its holdings in the hospitality sector with the acquisition of ID Collaborative Inc., a Greensboro, N.C.-based interior design firm.

NORTON SHORES — Nichols Paper & Supply Co., a Norton Shores-based distributor of paper, industrial packaging and sanitary supplies, has been acquired by a New Jersey-based distributor with deep experience in food service packaging and janitorial supplies.

HOLLAND TWP. — Macatawa Bank Corp.’s third-quarter earnings grew slightly from a year earlier amid strong deposit growth.

SPARTA — ChoiceOne Financial Services Inc. reported strong earnings growth over the third quarter from a year earlier that included merger-related expenses.

GRAND RAPIDS — Independent Bank Corp. recorded lower third-quarter earnings from a year earlier, though year-to-date profits have grown by more than 28 percent.

GRAND RAPIDS — Private equity firm Auxo Investment Partners has entered the railroad business with the acquisition of maintenance company Genesis Rail Services LLC.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer seeks to inject $200 million into Michigan technology startups using federal pandemic relief funds.

CrossLiner Inc. secured a $2 million venture capital investment in the third quarter that will help the company move closer to the marketplace with a new cardiac catheterization device.

GRAND RAPIDS — Mercantile Bank Corp. recorded strong loan growth in the third quarter with an earnings increase of more than 40 percent from a year earlier.

Comerica Inc. economists have lowered their expectations for U.S. economic growth next year while raising the forecasted inflation rate in their latest outlook.

Some of the smallest banks in Michigan’s market recorded the biggest growth rates in deposits during a recent 12-month period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ANN ARBOR — Michigan-based cannabis company Skymint Inc. has acquired 3Fifteen Cannabis in a deal that broadens the company’s position across the state.

WALKER — Greatland Corp., which provides tax reporting services to businesses nationwide, has acquired a New York firm that provides W-2 and 1099 preparation forms and software.

GALESBURG — Indiana-based fiber optic provider MetroNet, which services clients across the U.S., announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Southwest Michigan-based fiber optic internet provider CTS Telecom Inc.

GRAND RAPIDS — Acrisure LLC has hired a new chief financial officer who comes from The Walt Disney Co. and will play a key role in helping the company grow beyond the core insurance business.

GRAND RAPIDS TWP. — Relocating its headquarters closer to Grand Rapids will give Union Bank a bigger presence in a market that’s been generating growth for a few years.

The path that Jeff Williams charted years ago was designed to ensure that Grand Wealth Management LLC continues well past his eventual retirement.

SPARTA — ChoiceOne Financial Services Inc. has raised $32.5 million in capital through a private placement of subordinate debt.

ADA — Century Technology Group Inc. continues to add to its portfolio of technology-focused companies with the acquisition of a Grand Haven-based emerging tech and media firm.

An additional $6.5 million state investment gives pre-seed fund Michigan Rise more capital to back a strong pipeline of startup companies.

TRAVERSE CITY — The $3.1 billion deal to combine Hagerty Insurance Group LLC with Aldel Financial Inc. would create a publicly traded company that expects to maintain significant growth.

Union Bank plans to move its corporate office to a new facility now under construction in Grand Rapids Township.

TRAVERSE CITY — Specialty auto insurer Hagerty Group LLC will combine with special purpose acquisition company Aldel Financial Inc. in a $3 billion deal that would make Hagerty a publicly traded company once the merger closes.

Two local community banks are following the industry’s deeper push into digital banking that has accelerated since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

Businesses that received a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan and are growing or intend to seek financing for an expansion should apply for loan forgiveness as soon as possible, according to bankers.

A statewide loan fund that provides growth capital to rapidly growing businesses expects to start doing deals soon after agreements with its initial investors have been finalized.

GRAND RAPIDS — Dick DeVos has announced plans to step down as president of The Windquest Group.

GRAND RAPIDS — Michigan Capital Network plans to form a fourth venture capital fund.

GRAND RAPIDS — Independent Bank Corp.’s earnings declined in the second quarter from the prior year, largely because of lower non-interest income and higher non-interest expenses.