Purchasing VocaLink has cost Mastercard more than $900 million and some regulatory headaches, but the investment has to potential to spark new payment products and facilitate the card brand's pursuit of faster processing.

The Blairsville, Ga., bank is in growth mode with strong second-quarter lending performances and two deals in the works, but its provision for loan losses was described as too low in one research note.

The Texas company would add seven branches and more than $300 million of assets by acquiring Valley Bancorp.

First Financial in Ohio is buying MainSource in Indiana — with a twist. MainSource's leader will become CEO.

Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group has agreed to buy a majority stake in Virginia Community Bank in a rare instance of a nondepository mortgage company buying a bank, rather than the reverse.

The acquisition would be Valley's third in the Sunshine State since 2014 and would give the New Jersey company its first branches in Alabama.

The Louisiana company, which recorded a large loan-loss provision to cover energy-related chargeoffs, also disclosed a new regulatory order from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

The Michigan company's profit benefited from a larger balance sheet and a reduction in merger-related expenses.

The company agreed to buy MainSource Financial in Indiana for $1 billion, creating a Midwestern bank that will have more than 200 branches and $13 billion in assets.

The New York company, which is preparing to buy Astoria Financial, reported year-over-year increases in commercial-and-industrial and commercial real estate loans.

Union Bankshares in Virginia lost several key lending officers after it bought StellarOne. Management as a result has made changes to minimize employee flight from its latest M&A target, Xenith Bankshares.

WashingtonFirst had a sudden window of opportunity to sell itself in the latter half of 2016, but it had been preparing for a possible sale for more than two years before that, and perhaps as a result it received one of the most valuable buyout offers this year.

The New Jersey bank is looking to raise offensive capital just months after its deal to be sold to Investors Bancorp was terminated. Investors was tripped up by regulatory concerns tied to Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money-laundering compliance.

Delmar will buy Liberty Bell Bank in New Jersey, which had survived a debilitating six-year battle for control with a former CEO. Liberty Bell also suffered from corporate theft and a check-kiting scandal.

Associated Banc-Corp is the latest industry welterweight to get back into M&A. That should benefit larger sellers that have watched the bigger regionals sit idle in the last couple of years.

ClearChoice cited "increasing competitive pressure" as the reason for the merger of the two Philadelphia-area institutions.

The size of the Louisiana company's loan portfolio increased by 6% from a year earlier, helping offset weaker noninterest income.

The Rhode Island bank plans to build out its fee income capabilities, expand C&I lending in the Southeast, renegotiate vendor contracts and take other steps to produce expense cuts and revenue enhancements of at least $90 million.

The Ohio company also reported that credit quality metrics remain well within its targeted range.

But the Connecticut company says the efficiencies of its recent acquisition of Suffolk Bancorp will begin to be realized soon.