Robert Barba

The multi-bank holding company has historically taken a hyperlocal approach in the suburbs with individually branded banks. As it moves deeper into the heart of Chicago, the company is unifying a dozen branches under its Wintrust brand.

The Armed Forces Benefit Association plans to sell its bank to local management. While insurers have been fleeing the industry due to regulation, the group says it is getting out because its membership's use of the bank is falling and it would rather use the capital to expand its life insurance business.

They look great on paper, but mergers of equals are always difficult to integrate due to cultural issues. United Financial in Glastonbury, Conn., is learning that lesson with Jeff Sullivan's departure less than six weeks after the company's merger with Rockville Financial.

A key member of United Financial Bancorp's management team has departed a month after the company's merger with Rockville Financial.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has closed Slavie Federal Savings Bank in Bel Air, Md.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is looking to ban a former Tennessee banker from the industry following his institution's 2012 failure.

Legal experts are becoming increasingly concerned that federal judges are questioning the right of a lender of secondary creditor to bid the full value of claims in Chapter 11 cases. For banks looking at bankruptcy, this development provides more encouragement to settle with certain debtholders before seeking legal protection.

The Arkansas company has been aggressive this year, agreeing to buy banks with a total of $3.4 billion in assets. The buying spree is partially driven by a currency lifted by a bankruptcy deal Simmons First completed last year.

Huntington, JPMorgan Chase uniforms honored by apparel council.

Gold Coast Bank in Islandia, N.Y., announced that Chief Executive Joseph Perri has resigned.

The Ohio Division of Financial Institutions closed Columbia Savings Bank in Cincinnati on Friday.

Niche banks face a challenge when they consider acquisitions: they want to grow without undermining their specialized business models. First Business in Madison, Wis., worked around the problem by searching far and wide till it found a very similar bank in Kansas that wanted to sell.

FNB Bancorp (FNBG) in South San Francisco is expanding into the East Bay with a deal to acquire Valley Community Bank in Pleasanton.

Bank buyers and sellers should pay attention to the Fed's recent approval of Cullen/Frost's acquisition of WNB Bancshares. Cullen/Frost had to agree to improve its fair-lending and other functions, underscoring the importance of buyers who work well in resolving compliance and other problems with regulators.

Many people in Florida were sure that M&A would pass over the Sunshine State for years after the financial crisis. But a recent influx of deals suggests that Florida hasn't lost its luster.

Illinois state regulators closed the $66.3 million-asset AztecAmerica Bank in Berwyn on Friday.

HCBF Holding in Fort Pierce, Fla., has agreed to buy Highlands Independent Bancshares in Sebring, Fla.

State regulators quizzed bankers and payments executives about the benefits and risks associated with improvements to the payments system, including same-day transactions. The industry officials assured them the new system would be secure — though they were short on details.

Attendees at this year's D.A. Davidson Conference believe the approval process is calming down somewhat. Other bankers say they are looking to lower capital levels, with many showing an interest in deposit-rich franchises.

The investment bank has moved its annual banking conference to Denver after 16 years in Seattle, signaling its desire to do more bank deals in the central U.S. where M&A activity is expected to get busier.