In a political season teeming with tension around income inequality, racial economic disparities and animus toward the banking industry, reforming the Community Reinvestment Act seems like it should be a cornerstone of the debate. Yet the law has been almost entirely absent from the discussion. Here's why.

Some branch deals come with added value. A case in point is the $2 billion-asset Old Second Bancorp's agreement to buy a branch in Chicago from Talmer Bancorp in Troy, Mich. in a deal that includes deposits, assets and a vice chairman.

Quaint Oak Bancorp in Southampton, Pa., has bought the rights to a portfolio of personal and commercial insurance policies.

Old National in Evansville, Ind., reported higher quarterly profit due to securities gains and loan growth tied to its purchase of Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin.

While some institutions find it sensible to appoint chief operating officers to assist the CEO or as part of a succession plan, many others increasingly choose to go without a COO.

Monona State Bank in Wisconsin has agreed to buy MBC Bankshares in Middleton, Wis.

As chief operating officers see their roles altered through industry consolidation, they are also taking the lead of implementing banks' technological and strategic overhauls.

On top of running a bank’s day-to-day operations, chief operating officers particularly at smaller banks play the additional role of CEO-in-waiting.

In an industry of more and more specialists, the chief operating officer is a jack-of-all-trades. But the title has different meanings for different banks. Some COOs help craft strategy, others just implement strategy. Some are CEOs-in-waiting, others stay in the background. We asked COOs about their role, M&A's effects on job security, and how they interact with CEOs.

The $101 billion-asset Key said in a press release Friday that it had finalized the $4.1 billion purchase of the $40 billion-asset First Niagara.

The private equity firm GTCR is interested in fintech companies looking to disrupt the status quo, so long as they have proved themselves and are paired with managers who have a long track record of success.

Carver Bancorp in New York is dealing with a new set of challenges just months after being released from a longstanding enforcement order. The company’s woes highlight the challenges for banks with narrowly constrained business models.

CCB, the parent of the $1.3 billion-asset Country Club Bank, recently announced that it had absorbed Capital Corp. in Lenexa, Kan. CCB did not disclose the price.

Stonegate Bank in Pompano Beach, Fla., could be getting close to announcing another acquisition.

Green Bancorp in Houston has resolved $37 million in energy loans since deciding to get out of that business.

Middleburg Financial in Virginia, which recently faced criticism from its biggest investor, has a new chairman.

Regional banks need all the growth opportunities they can get, and Fifth Third says it has found one in catering to European businesses that need to expand in North America to escape domestic economic issues.

The popular German digital startup Fidor Bank has agreed to be acquired by Groupe BPCE, the second-largest French bank.

Multiple acquisitions weighed down quarterly profit at TowneBank in Suffolk, Va.

The $1.8 billion-asset Sunflower expects to combine with the $2.2 billion-asset Strategic Growth to create a company with $3 billion in loans and 60 branches in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas.