Huntington Bancshares made five pitches to buy FirstMerit. It took a fixed cash component, several board seats and hefty commitments to FirstMerit's employees and major markets in Ohio and Michigan to seal the deal.

Triumph Bancorp in Dallas has agreed to buy ColoEast Bankshares in Lamar, Colo.

Wonder Bancorp and Harvard Illinois Bancorp have extended the deadline for their merger to May 31, according to a joint news release issued Friday.

Cordia Bancorp recently sold its student lending platform due to concerns about loan concentrations. In doing so, the Virginia company provided another example of why it is difficult for smaller institutions to gain traction in marketplace lending.

Market volatility and new regulatory burdens are thinning the ranks of commercial mortgage lenders that underwrite loans for securitizations. Activity is slowing down as a result, and it is unclear if banks and insurers will fill the void, especially outside the largest cities.

Hometown Community Bancorp in Morton, Ill., has agreed to buy Trivoli Bancorp in Trivoli, Ill.

First Bancorp in Southern Pines, N.C., and First Community Bancshares in Bluefield, Va., have agreed to exchange branches in two states.

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.