As acquisition financing deals pick up, big banks are seeing a growing number of opportunities to sponsor loans to corporate borrowers.

Park Sterling Corporation in Charlotte, N.C., announced Monday that it is buying Citizens South Bank in Gastonia, N.C., in a deal that would instantly double its size.

After putting its initial public offering plans on ice, Customers Bancorp in Wyomissing, Pa., has placed $270 million of its investment portfolio on the auction block.

The pace of consolidation among financial technology firms is likely to pick up as more and more banks look to trim overhead by combining services with fewer vendors.

First California Financial Group's decision to turn down a buyout offer from PacWest Bancorp (PACW) has angered at least one of the company's largest shareholders.

Past rallies in issuance of leveraged loans for mergers and acquisitions or leveraged buyouts have sputtered before, but macroeconomic factors are expected to keep investors bullish this time.

Many banks reported strong loan production in the first quarter, but most bankers acknowledged that overall loan demand remains tepid and that the activity is largely a result of stealing business from rival banks.

"There's a lot of frustration" among retailers, says Bill Johnson, who runs the Citigroup unit that issues store cards. "They're worried about who owns the data, who owns the [customer] relationship."

Encore Bancshares (EBTX) in Houston announced Thursday that its shareholders have approved its pending sale to Cadence Bancorp.

Debt buyer Encore Capital Group Inc. reported Wednesday large increases in revenue and cash collections but a decline in net income for the first quarter ended March 31.

Piraeus Bank, plagued by the debt crisis in Greece, has hired KBW to shop its U.S. bank, according to industry sources.

Jay Sidhu says Customers Bancorp, a Wyomissing, Pa., company could also revisit its now-delayed IPO by the end of the year.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Branchless-Realtors FCU, billed as the first virtual credit union when it was chartered by the National Association of Realtors three years ago, is throwing in the towel and plans to merge into Northwest FCU, the $2.2 billion credit union in nearby Herndon, Va.

The $5.4 billion-asset company's aggressive pursuit of First California and American Perspective may inspire others to abandon the traditional courtesies of the bank deals market.

The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it approved the expansion of the U.S. operations of three of China's largest banks, including the first acquisition of a U.S. bank by a Chinese bank.

PlainsCapital's relatively weak price may give aspiring sellers a reason to pause, though industry observers say there are reasons why this deal failed to meet the hot premiums that other Texas banks have commanded.

Already a leading provider of banking services to homeowners' associations on the West Coast, Union Bank in San Francisco has struck a deal to take the niche business nationwide.

In their path-breaking 2009 book "This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly" economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff conclude it never is.

PacWest Bancorp in Los Angeles is attempting a hostile takeover just days after unseating Umpqua Holdings to buy American Perspective Bank. Industry observers say the company's newfound buying aggression might make it a better seller someday and give its PE investors a tidy exit.

Hilltop Holdings announced Wednesday that it is buying PlainsCapital of Dallas for roughly $520 million in cash and stock.