A new Texas law addresses concerns that community banks will suffer if big-box retailers and large banks begin to team up on pricing.

Two American Banker staffers who cover mergers and acquisitions have a confession to make. We sometimes get so enmeshed in the arcane numbers behind bank deals that we overlook what really makes them tick: the human element.

Snapchat, a once-popular app among high school students, has captured the attention of privacy-savvy Wall Street financers hoping to keep their late-night escapades quiet.

The chief executive and three directors of Atlantic Coast Financial (ACFC) are leaving the company after shareholders rejected a proposed sale to Bond Street Holdings earlier this month.

As part of the heavy competition in New York, BankUnited CEO John Kanas has swiped a number of bankers away from rivals, including Capital One and Signature Bank. Most worked for him at the old North Fork Bank.

Reliance Bancshares in St. Louis has named a new chief executive for its bank unit.

California Republic Bancorp in Irvine has securitized and sold $238 million of notes backed by its car loans.

The NCUA has approved the mergers of several struggling credit unions, including four more in California.

F&M Bank Corp. (FMBM) in Timberville, Va., has named new chief financial and administrative officers at its bank unit as part of a series of promotions.

The business credit card sector, which was on life support near the end of the recession, appears to be strengthening.

First PacTrust Bancorp (BANC) in Irvine, Calif., is planning to raise about $46 million through a sale of common stock.

The Onion, a satirical news site, reported that chief executives from the largest financial institutions "are just about ready to completely destroy the world again."

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has charged nine former directors of Southern Community Bank in Fayetteville, Ga., with approving risky loans that later led to its collapse in 2009.

Banks on the block are still trading at reasonable valuations, and their financials are offering more clarity than in the recent past. That's has some industry observers believing that the stars are aligning for deals to get done. For sellers, the dilemma is whether to take the modest multiples on offer or hold for more at the risk of missing out altogether.

Republic First may try to revive its 2008 deal to sell itself to Metro Bancorp. That effort died at the feet of regulators but still makes sense in the eyes of some. Other banks are said to be asking similar questions about old deals.

Farmers & Merchants in Long Beach, Calif., has grown significantly since 2008 largely because of successful efforts to keep key employees from bolting.

Inland Bank and Trust announced Tuesday that it is working with tech vendor Linkable Networks to begin giving its customers digital, card-linked coupons.

Renato Ramirez, who grew up in Laredo, Texas, and heads a bank there, recently received his community's most prestigious award for his philanthropic efforts.

New York regulators announced a $250 million settlement Thursday with Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi-UFJ (BTMU) for violating United States sanctions against countries including Iran, Sudan and Myanmar.

OptimumBank Holdings (OPHC) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., can keep listing its shares on the Nasdaq now that a reverse stock split has brought the stock above the exchange's minimum price.