M&A has been marked by the pursuit of earning assets in recent years, but banks that have cracked the organic loan growth code are looking to buy deposit-heavy banks before interest rates rise.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has pumped $117 million into its U.S. bank to fund the purchase of online banking startup Simple.

Great Southern Bancorp (GSBC) in Springfield, Mo., reeled in more deposits and loans from a recent branch deal compared to what it had originally forecast.

The Honolulu bank is collecting donations to support the Polynesian Voyaging Society's 46,000-mile, worldwide sea odyssey, which aims to raise awareness of Hawaiian heritage.

BB&T (BBT) in Winston-Salem, N.C., has agreed to buy insurance agency Woodbury & Co.

Yadkin Financial revealed in a regulatory filing that merger talk is running rampant across the state. Yadkin agreed to merge with VantageSouth in January to create North Carolina's biggest community bank.

Former Bank of America Chairman Kenneth Lewis agreed to a three-year ban on serving as a public company's officer or director and to pay $10 million to settle claims by New York's attorney general that he misled investors about the bank's 2009 purchase of Merrill Lynch.

The $1.6 billion-asset KleinBank said it expects to buy the $207 million-asset Prior Lake by the end of this year. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Platte Valley Financial Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is buying a bank it played a role in forming.

First Federal Bank of Wisconsin in Waukesha and Bay View Federal Savings and Loan Association are merging.

Middleburg Bank in Virginia has agreed to sell its 62% stake in the mortgage banking firm Southern Trust Mortgage to two Virginia banks and Southern Trust's president.

Four Oaks Fincorp (FOFN) in Four Oaks, N.C., could raise more than $27 million in a securities agreement and rights offering.

PacWest Bancorp's pending purchase of CapitalSource has been pushed back as the deal awaits approval from the Federal Reserve Board.

Solera National Bancorp's annual meeting is quickly shaping up to be a free-for-all.

A recent survey shows that two-third of mutual savings banks have considered mergers and that 40% give it even odds that they will participate in consolidation in the next five years.

Simmons First (SFNC) in Pine Bluff, Ark., has agreed to buy Delta Trust & Banking in Little Rock, Ark.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended March 22.

Acquisition rumors about Royal Bank of Scotland's U.S. operations are swirling again.

Solera National Bancorp (SLRK) is being challenged by a former director who wants to wrest control of the Lakewood, Colo., company's board.

Xenith Bankshares (XBXS) had been eager to enter the bustling Hampton Roads area. It plans to use Colonial Virginia, located close to the region, to make a beachhead.