The merger of the Federal Home Loan Banks in Des Moines and Seattle became official on Monday, shrinking the overall number of banks in the system to 11.

A Tennessee community bank investor has acquired a majority stake in AB&T Financial in Gastonia, N.C.

City Holding in Charleston, W.Va., has agreed to buy three branches in Kentucky from American Founders Bank in Lexington.

The South Carolina bank has been shedding assets in recent months after suffering millions of dollars in losses in recent years. The bank ousted its management team last year due to poor financial performance and conflicts with investors.

While other banks build fancy modern skyscrapers or look to shrink the size of their branches, Dollar Bank in Pittsburgh has poured its resources into restoring a 144-year-old building downtown. The bank says the building's fame gives it a marketing edge.

The Fed finalized a rule increasing an asset-size threshold that lets smaller banks finance deals with up to 75% in debt. That benefit, along with an exemption from Basel III capital rules, could prompt some bankers to second-guess short-term growth as they weigh their options.

Heartland Financial in Dubuque, Iowa, has agreed to buy Premier Valley Bank in Fresno, Calif.

American State Bancshares in Wichita, Kan., has agreed to acquire three Kansas branches from Simmons First National.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended May 23.

Southwest Bancorp in Stillwater, Okla., has agreed to buy First Commercial Bancshares in Edmond, Okla.

Green Bancorp in Houston has agreed to buy Patriot Bancshares, saying it will pay $139 million in common stock for the $1.3 billion-asset parent of Patriot Bank.

Valley National Bancorp in Wayne, N.J., announced its second deal in Florida, a state that has been difficult for other out-of-state banks to enter.

F.N.B. in Pittsburgh has agreed to buy five branches from Bank of America in eastern Pennsylvania.

We asked bank chief financial officers what advice they would give their younger selves. Here is what they wish they'd known when they started their careers.

Valley National Bancorp in Wayne, N.J., has agreed to buy CNLBancshares in Orlando, Fla.

MutualFirst Financial in Muncie, Ind., is facing pressure from an activist investor to explore a potential sale, even after the bank earlier this year agreed to implement a demand made by the same activist.

The Sunshine State is once again outgrowing the rest of the country and some of its community banks are eager to become the state’s next flagship. Florida has changed a lot since the old Barnett Bank held that title, and so has banking. But now its thriving homegrown contenders aim to reshape the fragmented banking landscape, which is dominated by out-of-state rivals.

First BanCorp in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has agreed to sell about $200 million in nonperforming loans and other assets to improve credit quality.

The Dallas investment group completed its tender offer for Mechanics Bank last month, culminating a three-year hunt for a target to serve as the base of its roll-up strategy. With that piece in place, the company is looking to buy other banks in northern California

State Bank Financial in Atlanta reached an agreement to end its loss-share agreements for 12 failed banks that it acquired during the financial crisis.