As the real estate market ramps back up, lenders are looking for ways to diversify their portfolios, even if the returns are slim.

BofI Holding in San Diego has agreed to buy $125 million in deposit accounts from a unit of First Marblehead.

Citizens National in Paintsville, Ky., has acquired Peoples Security Bancorp in Louisa, Ky.

Deals and departures were common trends among bankers we highlighted as worth watching in 2014. In fact, only a few bankers managed to avoid major headlines in the past year.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Housing Finance Agency said Monday it has approved the merger of the Federal Home Loan banks of Des Moines and Seattle, giving approval to the first voluntary combination in the history of the system.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended Dec. 20.

First Guaranty Bancshares had hoped to raise more than $60 million but a dip in oil prices spooked potential investors even though just 3% of the bank's loans involve energy companies.

Orient Bancorp. in San Francisco has a new president and chief executive.

Empire Bancorp in Islandia, N.Y., has raised $20 million in a private placement.

Simmons First National in Pine Bluff, Ark., has extended the termination date for its purchases of two banks due to delays securing regulatory approval.

Representative Kevin Yoder, who spearheaded this week's changes to the Dodd-Frank financial law's regulation of swaps transactions, has a message for Senator Elizabeth Warren: expect more pro-business changes in next year's spending bills.

The former Astoria chief, who died Sunday, took Astoria from a sleepy mutual to the fifth-biggest publicly traded thrift in New York. Engelke was also know for freely speaking his mind while maintaining strong relationships with fellow bankers.

Merger activity picked up some in 2014, with most of the big deals announced during the second half. Meanwhile, more banks appear to be growing comfortable with the process of getting deals approved by regulators.

Integrity Bancshares in Camp Hill, Pa., first approached S&T Bancorp about an $8 million loan before eventually agreeing to sell itself to the Indiana, Pa., company.

Size-based regulation is designed to curb banks' appetite for growth. This will affect every operational and strategic decision that banks make going forward.

Northwest Bancshares in Warren, Pa., has agreed to buy LNB Bancorp in Lorain, Ohio.

The $16.3 billion-asset UMB will pay $182.5 million in stock for the Marquette, which is owned by the Pohlad family. The acquisition, which values Marquette at 160% of its tangible book value, is expected to close in mid-2015.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended Dec. 12.

Bidding is over in the first bankruptcy auction to be held at the demand of trust-preferred creditors, but there's no clear winner.

Bridge Bancorp in Bridgehampton, N.Y., has agreed to buy Community National Bank in Melville, N.Y.