Capital

Higher dividends and more aggressive repurchase programs are bound to attract more investors, which could boost stock prices and prompt more dealmaking, analysts said.

The North Carolina company's purchase of Chattahoochee Bank will add a branch and loan production office to its existing operations in northern Georgia.

The $231 million-asset Virginia bank will also double its legal lending limit when it buys CCB Bancshares.

The Georgia bank will pay $124 million for Four Oaks Fincorp, buying a bank with a large operation in Raleigh, N.C.

Meridian had been looking to expand in certain Boston suburbs before agreeing to buy Meetinghouse Bancorp for $17.8 million.

The company will also gain its first branches in New Mexico after it buys Peoples Inc.

Byline Bancorp's decision to go public sends a message that it plans to dangle a more liquid stock in front of potential sellers. It also provides a way for certain shareholders to cash out.

The offering would be a big milestone for Byline Bancorp, which was recapitalized in 2013 by a group led by former Banco Popular North America CEO Roberto Herencia.

Beacon Community Bank seeks to become the first new bank in South Carolina in roughly a decade.

Pinnacle Financial Partners closed in on $20 billion in assets by buying BNC. It now has to integrate the North Carolina bank, while finding ways to boost profit and adapt to increased regulatory burden.