First Interstate BancSystem in Billings, Mont., has agreed to buy Absarokee Bancorp. in Absarokee, Mont.

The Securities and Exchange Commission just gave unregistered banks a way to quickly raise capital at a fortuitous time — and marketplace lending platforms a way to reclaim their peer-to-peer roots.

Toronto-Dominion Bank would consider small retail bank takeovers in the U.S. Southeast to expand its branch network on the Eastern Seaboard, Chief Executive Officer Bharat Masrani said.

Farm banks have enjoyed several years of robust loan volume, but declining farm income has them on guard for increases in delinquencies and more eager to use government-guarantee programs.

Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida in Stuart has agreed to buy Grand Bankshares in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Lending analytics firm Orchard Platform has cut a deal with alternative small-business lender Kabbage to allow institutions to invest in the latter's relatively new line of consumer loans.

Atlantic Capital Bancshares in Atlanta has agreed to buy First Security Group in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Not too big, not too small is the place to be, says Thomas Michaud, CEO of KBW. Banks with $5 billion to $50 billion in assets are well-positioned, while smaller banks are looking at ways to join the group.

With sellers opting to take stock rather than cash, how the market values a buyer is important. Thomas Michaud, CEO of KBW, talks about his expectations for bank stocks this year and what those valuations mean for M&A.

While a number of community banks are preparing for lock horns with dissident shareholders, a bank in Indiana managed to work with an activist to avoid a nasty brouhaha.

Southern Missouri Bancorp in Poplar Bluff has filed to sell $20 million in preferred stock it issued to the Treasury Department as part of the Small Business Lending Fund.

Former Federal Reserve Gov. Jeremy Stein has agreed to consult for hedge fund BlueMountain Capital Management, the fund announced Tuesday.

Lendio, an online lending marketplace for small business, raised $20.5 million of equity capital in a recently completed funding round.

Investors expected rates to increase last year. When they didn't, it showed up everywhere: stock prices, earnings estimates and banks' decisions to sell or go public. In a wide-ranging interview, KBW CEO Thomas Michaud reflects on what turned out to be a good year for M&A, what is driving deals and his firm's role in bringing companies together.

Carolina Alliance Bank in Spartanburg, S.C., has agreed to buy PBSC Financial in Greenville, S.C.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended March 21.

M&T Bank and Hudson City Bancorp plan to mail ballots this week to shareholders asking for approval of the companies' planned merger.

Community Bank Shares of Indiana in New Albany has registered to sell stock on behalf of several investors.

Metro Bancorp has a little more breathing room after an activist investor withdrew one of its two nominees for the Harrisburg, Pa., company’s board.

The $1.1 billion-asset company filed a shelf registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission late last week that will allow it to sell securities and issue debt.