Bharat Masrani is betting on branches at a time when many others are questioning their value. He explains why an aggressive U.S. expansion strategy — by acquisition and internal growth — makes sense for the Canadian-owned TD Bank.

In what would be its first acquisition in its 11-year history, Westfield Bancorp in Westfield Center, Ohio, is buying Western Reserve Bancorp in nearby Medina for about $18 million in cash.

Two years after postponing its planned conversion to a 100% stock-owned company, Northfield Bancorp, a mutual holding company in Avenel, N.J., is finally ready to take that second step.

There were more deals in May worth at least $50 million than in any month in well over a year, but market volatility could slow activity down again.

Three years after arriving, CEO Chris Bauer has helped Anchor survive by reducing costs and shrinking the Madison, Wis., company's assets. The thrift remains adequately capitalized, but the company still needs a $250 million lifeline.

Pegasus Bank in Dallas said Wednesday that it had raised $3.5 million in a stock sale and that it is using the funds to bolster its capital ratios.

Recent proxy fights illustrate how the high-stakes contests are getting ever more expensive for bankers and insurgents alike.

Bad times are driving a large majority of banks to rethink their operating models, a KPMG survey says. Wealth management and technology are priorities, branches may have to be turned into marketing stores, and M&A is still back burner.

A Kansas banking company that last week raised fresh capital to fuel its growth has struck a deal that would more than double its size.

BNC Bancorp has no immediate plans to exit the program, despite recently raising $73 million from a private placement. CEO Swope Montgomery believes BNC's acquisitions will more than offset the current 5% borrowing rate for the Tarp funds.

Ocwen Financial (OCN) has purchased the commercial servicing rights portfolio of Aurora Bank.

Asta Funding Inc., an Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based public debt buyer, announced late Monday it had repurchased one million shares of its common stock from investment fund management firm Peters MacGregor Capital Management Pty. Ltd. in a privately negotiated deal. Peters MacGregor Capital is an Australian fund manager that specializes in global equities.

In what would be its first acquisition in nearly a decade, Peoples Bancorp (PEBO) in Marietta, Ohio, announced Tuesday that it is buying Sistersville Bancorp in West Virginia for $9.8 million in cash.

Mortgage servicing company Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. (NSM) has agreed to acquire roughly $10.4 billion in residential mortgage servicing rights from Bank of America Corp. (BAC) in a co-investment with Newcastle Investment Corp. (NCT).

BNC, of High Point, N.C., would pay $35 million for First Trust, its fifth deal in the Carolinas in nine months.

A breakdown of M&A announcements for the week ended June 2.

Recent proxy battles show that the high-stakes clashes are getting pricey for management teams and irate shareholders.

When making a point to banker groups about how much the week-to-week banking habits of Americans have changed in recent years, one simple question tends to create much side chatter, nods and chuckles.

Freed from an enforcement order that led it to sharply reduce its assets, Guaranty Bancorp in Denver is now turning its attention to growth.

TransUnion announced on Monday that it has finalized the purchase of a majority share in CRBAfrica, a credit risk management organization with a presence in eight countries across Africa. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.