Bridge Bancorp (BDGE) in Bridgehampton, N.Y., is planning to raise at least $25 million in a public stock offering to support its purchase of FNBNY Bancorp in Merrick, N.Y.

The $356.6 million-asset company issued 2.8 million shares of common stock to investors at a purchase price of $1.00 per share.

David Matson will serve on the board's asset and liability committee and on its newly created risk management committee, according to First BanCorp's Tuesday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

With nearly 140 banks and a forecast for sluggish growth in the next decade, the city should be primed for consolidation. One big problem: few bankers seem interested in selling.

The $656 million-asset company will sell up to $25 million of common stock in a public offering, according to a Monday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Bank of America has officially finished swallowing Merrill Lynch. The country's second-largest bank on Tuesday merged its Merrill subsidiary into its main unit, almost five years after buying the investment bank at the height of the financial crisis.

National Bank Holdings Corp., a company formed in 2009 to buy failed banks, is planning to contract its branch network.

New Century Bancorp in Dunn, N.C., has agreed to buy Select Bancorp in Greenville, N.C.

The $483 million-asset company issued 370,000 shares of common stock to a prominent financial institution investor, according to a press release Monday. The investor was not named in the release.

Solera National Bancorp in Lakewood, Colo., has ended a months-long search for a new leader.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended Sept. 28.

Bridge Bancorp in Bridgehampton, N.Y., has agreed to buy FNBNY Bancorp in Merrick, N.Y.

Portfolio Recovery Associates Inc. (Nasdaq:PRAA), a Norfolk, Va.-based debt buyer, announced that company officials will present next week to the investment community at JMP Securities' Financial Services & Real Estate Conference in New York.

The $840 million-asset company will take a third-quarter charge of about $10 million on the sale of the loans, which have a book value of $33 million, it said.

The third quarter was marked by fewer but bigger deals. Higher prices could keep volume in check as sellers hold out for more. The fiscal showdown in Washington and related market swings could also complicate the balance of the year.

Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin in Madison has completed a $175 million recapitalization. With funding from private and institutional investors, the company has capital levels above the threshold regulators consider for being well-capitalized.

Several institutions in one of the nation's hardest-hit banking markets have shed enforcement actions, or have hired new leaders, as they attempt to stage comebacks.

U.S. Bancorp (USB) in Minneapolis has hired Bank of America (BAC) executive Michael Righi for two important West Coast jobs.

Expand by acquisition or through organic market penetration. The most successful banks will include both strategies in their future plans.

Investors Bancorp (ISBC) in Short Hills, N.J., and Roma Financial (ROMA) in Robbinsville, N.J., have extended the deadline for their merger while they wait for regulatory approval.