Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc., the Miami-based investment bank and brokerage, said Wednesday that it has agreed to buy Securities America Inc. from Ameriprise Financial Inc. for at least $150 million to add 1,700 financial advisors.

MidSouth Bancorp Inc. in Lafayette, La., has agreed to buy a branch in Tyler, Texas, from Beacon Federal Bancorp Inc.

Issuers of retail credit cards sought to exit the business en masse during the downturn. Now the industry's appeal is on the rise, along with a dramatic improvement in its performance.

Target's credit card unit earned $171 million for its second quarter ended July 30, benefiting from sharply lower losses on its cards after the financial crisis.

Investors Bancorp doesn't plan to stop with its deal for Brooklyn Federal. The Short Hills, N.J., mutual thrift would like to do "one or two more" before converting to an all-stock company.

Capitol Bancorp Ltd. is getting closer to exiting Colorado with an agreement to sell Mountain View Bank of Commerce.

First Financial Bancorp in Cincinnati has found a way to put some of its capital to work: a big branch deal with Flagstar Bancorp Inc.

Deals will stall in the short term as volatility complicates stock-related transactions and creates uncertainty. But a low-rate environment will crimp growth and ultimately drive consolidation.

Profits at State Bank Financial in Atlanta said its second-quarter profit fell 10% from the same period last year as gains in interest income were offset by higher expenses and an increase in its loan-loss provision.

Mercantile Bancorp once believed that its bank in sleepy Quincy, Ill. was not enough. Now, that bank might hold the key to the company's survival.

TD's $7.6 billion deal for a B of A MasterCard portfolio underscored again how banks north of the border are profiting at the expense of their U.S. rivals.

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Cardtronics has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Access To Money for $21 million.

First Niagara recently announced the acquisition of almost 200 HSBC branches in its market area. When asked if this would result in branch closures and layoffs, the chief executive of First Niagara said there wouldn't be many layoffs, because the overlapping branches would be sold rather than closed.

S1 and ACI Worldwide are each trying to win over shareholders in their ongoing merger feud. The Vendors on Monday tried to influence how S1's shareholders will vote for its pending merger with Fundtech.

As Bank of America and other large banks try to dispose of unwanted credit card assets, they are fueling a slow revival in card portfolio M&A — and creating opportunities for smaller banks to get back into the issuing business.

One bank postponed its initial public offering because of recent volatility, and others stock offerings could be delayed for weeks or months. It was bad timing for banks trying to get the jump on weakened competitors.

Looking to trim its overhead, West Coast Bancorp in Lake Oswego, Ore., is planning to close three of its roughly 62 full-service branches by the end of November.

Wells Fargo & Co. said it is hiring 25 investment bankers from hedge-fund Citadel Securities, including its head Brian Maier.

Bank of America Corp. is selling an $8.6 billion credit card portfolio in Canada and plans to unload $19 billion of card loans in Europe as it works to exit the international card business, the issuer announced Aug. 15.