OneWest Chief Executive Officer Joseph Otting sent an e-mail to his contacts on Wall Street this week asking for help to discourage bank overseers from holding public hearings on its $3.4 billion takeover by CIT Group.

Potential buyers have long been wary of high premiums and the potential for volatility in the energy sector. A harsh correction in oil prices and Texas bank pricing has suddenly given those banks a chance to revisit their views.

Guaranty Bancshares in Mount Pleasant, Texas, has agreed to buy DCB Financial in Dallas.

Home BancShares in Conway, Ark., has named a new chief for its banking unit.

Banco Santander, Spain's largest bank, is considering a multibillion-euro capital increase, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Synechron, an information technology company focused on the financial services industry, is increasing its global presence with its latest acquisition.

SBT Bancorp in Simsbury, Conn., moved its shares on Wednesday to a new OTC Markets Group trading platform.

Investors' demands that the country's biggest bank produce better earnings amid costlier regulations are prompting fresh cries to break up JPMorgan Chase.

Banks' post-crisis flight to caution has drawn comparisons to low-risk public utilities, but some institutions are seeing opportunities to take new risks again under the watch of new regulation.

Jimmy Dunne, a senior managing principal at the Sandler O'Neill, recently discusses the state of bank M&A, the importance of size and scale and why he never wants to take his New York investment bank public.

First Merchants in Muncie, Ind., has agreed to acquire C Financial in Columbus, Ohio.

The hunt for scale has long been one of the chief reasons for dealmaking, but Jimmy Dunne, senior managing principal of Sandler O'Neill, says that today's operating and regulatory environment shows the true need to find efficiency through size.

The regulatory environment for small deals is improving as regulators see how consolidation can help move the industry further away from the crisis, says Jimmy Dunne, senior managing principal of Sandler O'Neill.

Chemical Financial in Midland, Mich., has agreed to buy Lake Michigan Financial in Holland.

Federal Savings Bank in Chicago has agreed to buy Baytree National Bank & Trust in Lake Forest, Ill.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended Jan. 3.

Guaranty Bancshares in Mount Pleasant, Texas, has agreed to buy Texas Leadership Bank in Royse City.

The number of mutuals is shrinking, but those committed to the charter still have options. Attorney Kip Weissman of Luse Gorman discusses the possibilities of charter conversions for those looking to throw in the towel and potential regulatory moves that could help the ailing charter class.

A unit of Provident Financial Services in Jersey City, N.J., has agreed to buy an investment adviser.

The Bancorp in Wilmington, Del., has sold nearly $267 million of commercial loans to an investor group.