Paul Davis

South State in South Carolina has agreed to buy Southeastern Bank Financial in Georgia, which is run by Daniel Blanton, the chairman of the American Bankers Association.

A megabank on the surface might not seem like the right fit for the financing needs of upstart craft breweries, but Bank of America's Brian Mulvaney has cooked up quite a niche business.

Competitive pressure and revenue challenges are creating a need for executives to focus more on strategic planning, and CFOs want a piece of the action. Unfortunately, many CFOs are bogged down with checklists and mundane tasks.

FirstMerit reached out to a foreign bank last fall in an effort to negotiate a sale, but the Ohio company eventually agreed to sell itself to Huntington Bancshares for $3.4 billion.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in Lodi, Calif., has agreed to buy Delta National Bancorp in Manteca, Calif.

Trustmark in Jackson, Miss., reduced its workforce by more than 6% by offering early retirement packages.

Wintrust Financial in Rosemont, Ill., is planning to raise about $160 million through a common stock offering.

The $1.7 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing Monday that it recently agreed to buy a 25% stake in ASC Trust Corp. in Hagatna.

First Federal Bank of Wisconsin in Waukesha has a new chief executive lined up.

Heartway Bancorp. in Wayland, Iowa, has agreed to buy Peoples State Bank in Winfield, Iowa.