Continuing to bulk up in Texas through bite-sized deals, Independent Bank Group Inc. in McKinney said this week that it is buying the $155 million-asset I Bank Texas in Austin.

Susquehanna Bancshares Inc. in Lititz, Pa., is planning to eliminate nearly 350 jobs in Pennsylvania and Maryland, according to notices it filed with labor departments in both states this month.

The Carlyle Group, a powerhouse private-equity firm that has been aggressively acquiring stakes in ailing banks, is looking to raise additional funds to invest in troubled and capital-starved financial institutions.

Citigroup is selling its Belgian consumer operations unit to French lender Credit Mutuel Nord Europe for an undisclosed price, a spokesman for Citigroup's local units said Wednesday.

With General Electric buying deposits from MetLife, bankers have good reason to ponder the broader meaning to the competitive landscape.

The finance arm of General Electric anticipates a rebound in corporate borrowing, wants more in-house funding and is willing to stomach increased regulation.

IMGCAP(1)]

A Florida holding company formed in 2008 to buy troubled banks has struck another deal in the Tampa Bay area after calling off its previous acquisition.

MetLife Inc. took a step closer to exiting the banking business Tuesday by announcing that it is selling the bulk of its deposits to GE Capital Finance Inc.

South Korean government-owned KDB Financial Group denied a report that it had signed a preliminary deal to buy HSBC Holdings PLC's South Korean retail banking operations.

ING Groep NV has scrapped plans to sell its insurance business in Belgium as a stand-alone operation, highlighting the difficulties financial companies may have shedding assets in currently choppy markets.

Encore Capital Group Inc., a San Diego-based debt buyer, announced the resolution of litigation brought against the company earlier this year by the Texas attorney general's office. Terms of the resolution were not disclosed.

2011 was the slowest year for bank M&A in two or three decades, depending on whose count you use. Don't expect a big wave next year, though pressure on small banks to sell will intensify.

Edwin Hale officially stepped down Thursday as chairman and CEO of 1st Mariner in Baltimore. The banking company named interim successors.

Continental Illinois' internal auditors had been documenting the deterioration of underwriting quality. Unfortunately, no one listened.

EverBank Financial is considering buying parts of MetLife Home Loans of Irving, Texas, according to industry advisors.

The title insurance unit of First American Financial Corp. has agreed to acquire Hexter-Fair Title Co. in Dallas.

CIT Group says it will redeem an additional $2 billion of 7% Series A Second Lien Notes as part of its effort to refinance its post-bankruptcy debt.

United Community Financial Corp. in Youngstown, Ohio, completed another step in its capital-raising plan with the sale of four branches to Croghan Bancshares Inc. in Fremont, Ohio.

Federal pressure to repay Tarp aid is weighing on the minds of prospective sellers, SCBT's Hill and others say.