MoneyGram has renewed its relationship with Minnesota's Bremer Bank to assist with its check services.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended May 9.

First Commonwealth Bank in Indiana, Pa., has agreed to buy First Community Bank in Columbus, Ohio, for about $15 million in cash.

Top-performing community banks have found different ways to provide double-digit returns, despite numerous challenges facing the banking industry.

Looking past standard gauges of return on equity and return on assets, bank investors have wide opinions on what makes a bank a high-performing institution relative to peers.

The Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation closed the $90 million-asset Edgebrook Bank in Chicago on Friday.

CertusBank's chief executive, who joined the Greenville, S.C., company after its founders were fired last year, has left his post due to a medical issue.

Visa, the world's largest payments network, is in preliminary talks to buy former subsidiary Visa Europe Ltd. in a deal that may be valued at as much as $20 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Investors have varied expectations of how banks should build and deploy capital. Ultimately, management teams need to stick to their growth plans rather than serve the whims of specific shareholders.

Solus Alternative Asset Management LP took over a $146 million loan issued by Puerto Rico's cash-strapped power utility from a division of Citigroup Inc., according to documents published by the island's development bank.

Baylake Corp. in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., has agreed to buy New Bancshares in Kewaunee, Wis.

Parkway Bancorp in Harwood Heights, Ill., has agreed to buy Park Bancorp in Chicago.

First Citizens BancShares in Raleigh, N.C., reported higher earnings on the backs of two acquisitions.

A community development venture in the District of Columbia supported by Citigroup, government officials and local financial institutions has partnered with loan marketplace Biz2Credit to facilitate loans to small businesses.

The company recently completed its purchase of Central Bancshares. Following a methodically spaced-out integration, management expects it will be in a special position to do more deals in the state because MidWestOne is publicly traded.

Elmira Savings Bank in New York has repurchased a warrant from the federal government that had been issued as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program during the financial crisis.

Bank of the Ozarks in Little Rock, Ark., has agreed to buy Bank of the Carolinas in Mocksville, N.C.

Four former officers of Wilmington Trust have been charged with fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which accused the bankers of intentionally understating past-due loans in 2009 and 2010. Two of the bankers face criminal charges.

Bank of America, led by Brian Moynihan, at its annual meeting tried to look responsive to criticisms of its corporate governance, slow turnaround and other matters while announcing it would phase out lending to coal companies.

Western Union is in early-stage talks to acquire smaller rival MoneyGram, people with knowledge of the matter said, as both companies contend with stiff competition from upstart money-transfer companies.