Higher dividends and more aggressive repurchase programs are bound to attract more investors, which could boost stock prices and prompt more dealmaking, analysts said.

While overall activity remains slow, sellers — particularly those flush with core deposits — are fetching premiums not seen in years.

Global payments technology provider ScanSource has agreed to purchase POS Portal, a payment device supplier to the small-business market, for $145 million.

The North Carolina company's purchase of Chattahoochee Bank will add a branch and loan production office to its existing operations in northern Georgia.

The $231 million-asset Virginia bank will also double its legal lending limit when it buys CCB Bancshares.

The Georgia bank will pay $124 million for Four Oaks Fincorp, buying a bank with a large operation in Raleigh, N.C.

The $2.6 billion-asset parent of TBK Bank is acquiring nine branches from Independent Bank Group.

Meridian had been looking to expand in certain Boston suburbs before agreeing to buy Meetinghouse Bancorp for $17.8 million.

The company will also gain its first branches in New Mexico after it buys Peoples Inc.

The merger is expected to be completed by the end of November.

The Canadian bank twice sweetened its bid for PrivateBancorp, raising the stakes. Now it must gain traction in the hypercompetitive Chicago market while hunting for more acquisitions.

A headquarters move to Boston, a core system with plenty of headroom and a CEO who admires big acquirers like M&T and the old Banknorth: All the signs are there of an ambitious bank with a plan.

CIBC plans to spend two years focusing on internal growth at PrivateBank except for some targeted wealth management acquisitions, but ultimately capital outlays or takeovers will be necessary to meet its growth ambitions.

The billionaire investor agreed to buy shares at a deep discount and provide a fresh credit line for the Canadian mortgage company, tapping a formula he used to prop up lenders from Goldman Sachs to Bank of America.

One of the biggest challenges after a merger is deciding which people to keep and which to let go. Learning to identify certain habits and skills could simplify those decisions.

Byline Bancorp's decision to go public sends a message that it plans to dangle a more liquid stock in front of potential sellers. It also provides a way for certain shareholders to cash out.

With interest in these cross-industry deals growing, the CU credited with the first whole-bank acquisition is launching a CUSO to facilitate the process.

If credit unions want to keep the much-touted white hat the movement likes to wear, they may need to learn to live with yet another rule they're not fond of.

The CU regulator stopped short of banning financial incentives in the merger process, but a proposed rule could make it easier for members to know who gets what when the deal closes.

Pinnacle Financial Partners closed in on $20 billion in assets by buying BNC. It now has to integrate the North Carolina bank, while finding ways to boost profit and adapt to increased regulatory burden.