When it agreed to be sold to Stifel last year, KBW was painted as a victim of weak bank M&A and the transformation of investment banking. Things are looking up now as the combined company ranked as the top advisor in four of six U.S. regions at midyear.

Merchant Bank in Winona, Minn., plans to buy two branches from Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC) in Green Bay, Wis.

Citigroup Inc., the third-biggest U.S. bank by assets, may sell half its Texas branches as Chief Executive Officer Michael Corbat refocuses on the biggest urban areas, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

First Financial Northwest in Washington ousted a longtime CEO, while HopFed Bancorp in Kentucky seated an outsider on its board and canceled an acquisition, under pressure from activist shareholders. More banks can expect similar fights.

Columbia Commercial Bancorp (CLBC) in Hillsboro, Ore., has completed a $6.6 million capital raise through a private placement offering.

The acquisitive Prosperity Bancshares in Houston is set to slow its growth following a deal for Tulsa's F&M.

The banking industry enjoyed a second consecutive record quarterly profit in the three months through June, according to the FDIC. But lower unrealized gains on available-for-sale securities sparked concerns about future risks from rising interest rates.

Superior Bancshares in Hazelwood, Mo., has reportedly agreed to sell a 40% stake in itself to an investor group.

Dwight Utz, who is leaving VantageSouth in North Carolina five months after it bought his bank, says he is looking for CEO jobs Virginia, Maryland or Pennsylvania.

Bill Heffernan has done it all over four decades in Miami banking, and has even been a mayor of a small town. Now, as a new board member of Apollo Bank, he'll advise the community bank on growth strategies.

The Federal Reserve Board has given Valley National Bancorp in Wayne, N.J., approval to redeem $127.5 million of trust-preferred securities.

State Bank Financial Corp. in Atlanta has named a new credit guru.

Heartland Financial (HTLF) in Dubuque, Iowa, plans to raise up to $75 million.

Prosperity Bancshares in Houston has agreed to buy F&M Bancorp in Tulsa, Okla.

GNB Financial in Gratz, Pa., has agreed to buy Liberty Centre Bancorp in Pottsville, Pa.

VantageSouth Bancshares in Raleigh, N.C., announced that its president will resign.

CresCom Bank in Myrtle Beach, S.C., has agreed to buy a branch from First Carolina Bancshares in Waterboro, S.C.

Traditional bank M&A in Georgia has been nearly dead in recent years, but Hamilton State Bancshares' deal this week to buy Cherokee Banking suggests that the Peach State may be primed for consolidation.

Heartland Financial in Dubuque, Iowa, has hired a chief financial officer.

The investor group that plans to recapitalize U.S. Century Bank in Doral, Fla., has reportedly revised its offer to give a larger stake to preexisting shareholders.