Is CIT Group's acquisition of OneWest Bank a harbinger of sizable deals? M&A adviser Aaron Packles thinks so.

The Midwest had the highest number of whole bank and branch deals of any region in the country so far this year, and Stifel worked on more of those deals than any other M&A adviser, according to our semiannual ranking.

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

Summit Financial in Moorefield, W.Va., plans to raise roughly $12.8 million through a private placement and a subsequent rights offering.

Espirito Santo Bank in Miami has hired the investment banking firm FIG Partners to market it to prospective buyers.

BBVA Compass will likely face restrictions on M&A and branching after issues turned up in its recent CRA exam. Though a CRA rating downgrade is bad, some believe the foreign-owned bank is better off than banks that have had compliance issues arise after submitting a merger application.

American National Bankshares in Danville, Va., has agreed to buy MainStreet BankShares in Martinsville, Va.

Stonegate Bank in Pompano Beach, Fla., has agreed to buy Community Bank of Broward in Dania Beach, Fla.

Who says you can't have it all? Banks like Eagle Bancorp and Puget Sound Bank are adding loans at a fast clip, but that hasn't stopped them from looking for deals. Still, such banks must make sure their deals do not wreck the growth engine they already have.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and from our social media platforms.

Blue Harbour Group, an activist investor fund, has amassed a 5.7% stake in Investors Bancorp in New Jersey.

Bryn Mawr Bank in Pennsylvania has agreed to buy Powers Craft Parker & Beard, an insurance broker and risk management consulting firm.

The Florida Office of Financial Regulation has approved Florida Central Credit Union's bid to buy a Sarasota, Fla., branch from First Federal Bank of Florida.

HomeTrust Bank faced a legal challenge from HomeTown Bank after it entered southwestern Virginia. The now-resolved dispute serves as a reminder that banks must be aware of branding challenges when they enter new markets.

Southern Bancorp in Arkadelphia, Ark., has agreed to buy the Bank of Bolivar County in Shelby, Miss.

A former Eastern Bank executive has been charged with insider trading in connection with the Boston bank's 2010 purchase of Wainwright Bank & Trust.

Investors will remain reluctant to take on the personal risk inherent in establishing de novo community banks as long as new regulations remain unwieldy and returns stay low, according to Richard Magrann-Wells.

Bankers and industry representatives are taking serious issue with a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau alert that calls into question the transparency of contracts between colleges and financial institutions that offer student products.

Four Oaks Fincorp in Four Oaks, N.C., has raised $24 million through a rights offering.

An investor has filed a lawsuit to block the merger deal between the two First Citizens banks in the Carolinas, which are controlled by the Holding family. The case could turn on whether the directors on the special committees that reviewed the deal were truly independent of the Holdings.