American State Bancshares in Wichita, Kan., has agreed to acquire three Kansas branches from Simmons First National.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended May 23.

Southwest Bancorp in Stillwater, Okla., has agreed to buy First Commercial Bancshares in Edmond, Okla.

Green Bancorp in Houston has agreed to buy Patriot Bancshares, saying it will pay $139 million in common stock for the $1.3 billion-asset parent of Patriot Bank.

Valley National Bancorp in Wayne, N.J., announced its second deal in Florida, a state that has been difficult for other out-of-state banks to enter.

F.N.B. in Pittsburgh has agreed to buy five branches from Bank of America in eastern Pennsylvania.

We asked bank chief financial officers what advice they would give their younger selves. Here is what they wish they'd known when they started their careers.

Valley National Bancorp in Wayne, N.J., has agreed to buy CNLBancshares in Orlando, Fla.

MutualFirst Financial in Muncie, Ind., is facing pressure from an activist investor to explore a potential sale, even after the bank earlier this year agreed to implement a demand made by the same activist.

The Sunshine State is once again outgrowing the rest of the country and some of its community banks are eager to become the state’s next flagship. Florida has changed a lot since the old Barnett Bank held that title, and so has banking. But now its thriving homegrown contenders aim to reshape the fragmented banking landscape, which is dominated by out-of-state rivals.

First BanCorp in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has agreed to sell about $200 million in nonperforming loans and other assets to improve credit quality.

The Dallas investment group completed its tender offer for Mechanics Bank last month, culminating a three-year hunt for a target to serve as the base of its roll-up strategy. With that piece in place, the company is looking to buy other banks in northern California

State Bank Financial in Atlanta reached an agreement to end its loss-share agreements for 12 failed banks that it acquired during the financial crisis.

Toronto-Dominion Bank, Canada's second-largest lender by assets, agreed to buy Nordstrom's Visa and private-label credit-card portfolio in the U.S. as it expands purchases in North American consumer credit.

The best-performing banks are those that continue to invest in growth, rather than those that fixate on containing expenses, writes Capital Performance Group's Kevin Halsey.

The Salt Lake City company was a prolific acquirer through the 1990s but has been quiet on the M&A front for several years. It's likely to stay that way in the near term, Chairman and CEO Harris Simmons said.

Investor communications company Broadridge Financial Solutions has entered into an agreement with Thomson Reuters Lipper to acquire its Fiduciary Services and Competitive Intelligence unit.

Several Puerto Rican banks are dealing with a sour participation to a major utility on the island. The creditor — like the Puerto Rican government — is barred from filing for bankruptcy, complicating matters for its lenders.

Promontory said Wednesday that it acquired FS Advisory from Date, who founded the consulting practice along with Fenway Summer in 2013 after leaving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as deputy director.

Harvard Illinois Bancorp, which has struggled with persistent activist pressure and exposure to a fraud scheme, is preparing to wind down its operations.