Banks are preaching the importance of getting low-cost deposits on their books now, ahead of new Basel liquidity rules, and the impending rise of interest rates.

These deals are hard to put together but are well worth it -- if management teams can get through the problems of working together. Sterne Agee's Michael Barry and Daryle DiLascia explain.

Baltimore County Savings Bank's 16 branches will officially open next week as branches of First National Bank of Hermitage, Pa.

Buyers used to win banks in pricey, unpredictable auctions. Now they have to be friendly masters of the negotiating table.

The California company ended three years of loan runoff after expanding into San Diego and adding managers for its agribusiness, construction and mortgage operations. What it would really like to do next is find the perfect acquisition.

Bond Street Holdings in Weston, Fla., plans to close four of the 25 branches it acquired from Great Florida Bank in Miami Lakes.

The former bank analyst is striking out on his own after shutting down an investment firm he co-founded with banker Vernon Hill.

North Shore Bank in Peabody, Mass., has agreed to merge with Saugusbank in Saugus, Mass.

Peoples Financial Services in Scranton, Pa., reported a fourth-quarter loss tied to its merger with Penseco Financial Services. The $1.7 billion-asset company lost $2.8 million in the quarter, compared to Penseco's $2.7 million in profit a year earlier.

West Virginia's City Holding is content to have loan officers drive several hours to pursue lending opportunities rather than relying on aggressive M&A. Part of the approach is tied to lessons learned from a risky strategy that blew up on a previous management team in the 1990s.

Patriot Financial is among a handful of investors to team up and bid on 1st Mariner Bank in a bankruptcy auction. Kirk Wycoff, Patriot's managing director, says his firm likes the structure and thinks it provides a market-based solution to community banks' debt hangover.

The clock is ticking on the Canadian bank's ambitious plan to take New York. TD has added a lot of branches and won kudos for its emphasis on customer service, but it's far short of its goal to be No. 3 in retail market share by 2016.

PHH Corp. is considering selling its mortgage banking business, a move that is apparently being driven by some of the company's investors.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has filed a lawsuit against an executive at Renasant (RNST) in an effort to recoup money from a defaulted loan from the defunct Tennessee Commerce Bank.

Leading origination outsourcer cites "input" from activist investor Orange Capital.

Independent Bank Group (IBTX) in McKinney, Texas, reported loan growth and higher expenses in the fourth quarter.

The collateralized loan market has backed off of deals involving bonds until lawmakers and regulators address the Volcker Rule's impact on such instruments. Most hope for clarification or grandfathering to stave off a massive sell-off.

Iberiabank Corp. (IBKC) in Lafayette, La., has agreed to buy First Private Holdings in Dallas.

First Interstate BancSystem (FIBK) in Billings, Mont., has agreed to buy Mountain West Financial (MTWF) in Helena, Mont.

The two top execs at consumer-finance startup Simple took to a public forum -- a social media chat among tech investors including the famed Marc Andreessen -- to discuss the pros and cons of buying a bank.