Midland States Bank in Effingham, Ill., is reportedly close to buying Heartland Bank in St. Louis.

Umpqua Holdings' agreement to buy Sterling Financial is the latest in a series of deals this year to pair similarly sized banks, creating a new crop of midsize financial institutions.

The $3.6 billion-asset Simmons First said Thursday that it plans to pay $53.6 million in cash for the Little Rock, Ark., bank.

The Treasury Department plans to auction nearly $118 million of shares in six lenders as it continues to wind down the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Landmark Community Bank in Collierville, Tenn., has agreed to acquire the central Tennessee assets of Cadence Bank, according to a report.

Sober presentations from CEOs normally dominate the Barclays Global Financial Services Conference in New York, but instant interactive polls and a piano-bar soundtrack gave this year's get-together an offbeat feel.

An activist investor with a reputation for pressuring management teams is pushing for a seat on the board of Malvern Federal Bancorp in Paoli, Pa.

Atlantic Coast Financial (ACFC) in Jacksonville, Fla., plans to sell $46 million in common stock. The move, disclosed in a Tuesday regulatory filing, follows a tumultuous period for the $743 million-asset company.

BankUnited (BKU) in Miami Lakes, Fla., is ready for some football. The $13 billion-asset company announced Thursday that it has become an "official partner" of the New York Jets.

Umpqua Holdings (UMPQ) in Portland, Ore., has agreed to buy Sterling Financial (STSA) in Spokane, Wash.

The $5.8 billion-asset Chemical has begun a public offering of its common stock that seeks to raise $50 million, it announced Wednesday after the market closed. All of the shares are being offered by the company.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is selling the last of the Citigroup (NYSE:C) stake that the U.S. government acquired during the financial crisis.

UMB Financial (UMBF) seeks to raise up to $242.2 million next week from a common stock offering that priced Tuesday.

American Express (AXP) is selling its high-end glossies to Time Inc. in order to comply with federal regulations.

Zions Bancorp. (ZION) in Salt Lake City plans to auction up to $250 million of debt through its online broker-dealer subsidiary.

Atlantic Coast Financial (ACFC) in Jacksonville, Fla., has picked a veteran of Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) and the former Wachovia to be its new chief executive.

Evertec (EVTC), a payments business Popular started 25 years ago, filed a secondary offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday to sell 20 million shares, including 9 million shares currently held by the $37 billion-asset Popular.

FirstMerit, M&T Bank and New York Community Bancorp are buyers in different stages of the acquisition process, and their executives together provided an insightful look into the full M&A experience this week.

Wells Fargo, the nation's largest mortgage lender, is exploring the sale of some servicing rights because the market is flush with potential buyers and it sees little opportunity to cross-sell many servicing clients.

Arrow Global, a UK-based buyer of delinquent consumer debt from credit card companies and banks, is set to list on Britain's FTSE index on Tuesday, a sign the industry is growing as banks attempt to boost their balance sheets.