John Petrey, CIO of First Niagara, is handling a wave of Northeast and New England bank mergers. A consistent rip-and-replace strategy helps keep the IT conversions smooth and minimizes disruption.

Banks are looking to slash infrastructure that had been built for growth, but not all have bloat in their payrolls. In fact, compensation is now a smaller portion of revenue at companies like Capital One than it was before the recession.

Opus Bank in Irvine, Calif., which last week raised $100 million to fund growth, has completed its acquisition of RMG Capital Corp., the parent company for Fullerton Community Bank.

Embattled BankAtlantic Bank in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, has given up its fight to remain independent. The thrift's parent, B.ankAtlantic Bancorp, announced early Tuesday that it has struck a deal to sell the $3.8 billion-asset unit to BB&T.

BB&T Corp. agreed to acquire struggling Florida lender BankAtlantic, part of BankAtlantic Bancorp Inc., in a deal that will expand its presence in SouthEast Florida.

In combining its ultra-high-net-worth units — Wells Fargo Family Wealth and Lowry Hill — under a new name, Wells Fargo & Co. may be balancing the consumer's post-2008 disdain for big financial-service brands with an aura of tradition and durability.

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Bankers have "pulled out all the stops" to help these major buyers of leveraged loans maneuver around new obstacles to deals.

A Dallas-area bank is looking for offensive capital after a would-be buyer failed to raise enough money to acquire the $41 million-asset institution.

Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRA), a Norfolk, Va.-based debt buyer, reported across-the-board gains in cash collections, earnings and revenues for the third quarter ended Sept. 30.

Encore Capital Group Inc., a San Diego-based debt buyer, reported increases in net income, revenue and cash collections for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, and revealed details about a new state investigation into its collection practices.

The Illinois Department of Financial Institutions closed the $37.8 million-asset All American Bank in Des Plaines on Friday.

Business moves under his leadership contributed to the investment firm's struggles, and his dealmaking skills will be needed to make up ground on rivals like Sandler.

First Financial Holdings, of Charleston, S.C., defied the odds by completing its sale of $200 million of problem loans in a dicey economy. Better yet, it booked a $20 million gain.

Green Dot Corp. is licking its lips over banks' new debit card fees, but the prepaid card company still doesn't know quite how large its eventual meal will be.

Goldman Sachs, State Street and Macquarie are among the companies considering an acquisition of MF Global or parts of the struggling company, people familiar with the matter said.

Opus Bank in Irvine, Calif., said Friday that it has raised $100 million in capital from management and investment funds as part of a plan to keep pace with its loan growth.

Park Sterling Corp. in Charlotte, N.C., said it expects to complete its acquisition of Community Capital Corp. in Greenwood, S.C., next week.

Stock repurchases have increased in popularity among banks. Large institutions like Chase and Citi and smaller banks like First Horizon have or are considering open market repurchase programs.

Huntington Bancshares Inc. said it will be converting all of its debit cards to MasterCard Inc. from Visa Inc. But MasterCard's coup comes as new regulations and bank fees are cooling the potential of the overall debit market.