Great Western and HF Financial spent nearly four months going back and forth over their merger's terms in the midst of a swoon in overall stock prices. Negotiations included at least six changes in the proposed price and five proposals for the termination fee.

The $8.2 billion-asset company will issue about 4.9 million shares at $14.50 apiece, according to a news release Thursday.

The earnings releases for the vast majority of publicly traded banks with less than $10 billion in assets raise more questions than answers for investors.

KeyCorp in Cleveland will retain two top First Niagara Financial Group executives after it closes its acquisition of the Buffalo, N.Y., company.

HCSB Financial in Loris, S.C., said Jan Hollar would become its chief executive after a $45 million recapitalization led by Castle Creek Capital Partners.

Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., plans to repurchase $125 million in subordinated notes to improve its efficiency and capital structure.

Lenders repeatedly reassured skeptics that their credit risks from the energy slump were under control. But more oil and gas companies are filing for bankruptcy, and more of them are said to be drawing down their credit lines — signaling that the worst may be yet to come.

Mergers of equals are hard to complete due to cultural issues, but a spike in consolidation paired with weary leaders and a lack of young talent could make such combinations more appealing.

Green Bancorp, the Houston lender that went public in 2014, is exploring a sale, according to people with knowledge of the matter, as weakness in its energy loan book pressures its share price.

Cordia said in a press release Tuesday that it sold its CordiaGrad platform to its Jack Zoeller, the $348 million-asset company's chief executive.

Estimates of nonbank mortgage providers that will close or change hands should worry consumers and policymakers about access to credit.

Establishing an active dialogue with major shareholders can help banks get ahead of activist campaigns, according to Josh Hinkel, a partner with Bain & Co.

Barclays identified potential money laundering linked to currency transactions at its business in South Africa, where the British lender plans to wind down its investment.

Summit Financial Group in Moorefield, W.Va., has agreed to buy Highland County Bankshares in Monterey, Va., for $21.8 million in cash. The deal is expected to close early in the third quarter.

Univest Corp. of Pennsylvania was negotiating to buy Fox Chase Bancorp when its stock plummeted in August. The decline prompted Fox Chase to seek other offers, while forcing Univest to adjust its proposal to prop up the deal value.

JPMorgan Chase will renew its commitment to support the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, an interdisciplinary national institute focused on the issues affecting military members after they leave the service that the bank co-founded with Syracuse University.

Goldsmith died Sunday of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif., a City National spokeswoman said Monday.

First Federal Bank of Kansas City has agreed to a $2.8 million settlement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to resolve allegations of redlining in African-American neighborhoods.

Comerica in Dallas is warning that its loan-loss provision this quarter will be larger than previously estimated because of falling oil prices.

Redwood Trust is "repositioning" its mortgage business by focusing mainly on jumbo loans, according to its top executives.