In what would be its first acquisition since 2007, Sandy Spring Bancorp Inc. in Olney, Md., announced late Tuesday that it is buying CommerceFirst Bancorp Inc. for $25.4 million in cash and stock.

After several years of bank merger activity trending down, there are signs that the activity level may revive. As this subject may not have been a front burner topic for bankers in recent years, it is useful to consider how changes in the last few years have altered certain strategic priorities for considering mergers.

Sun Bancorp Inc. in Vineland, N.J., said Tuesday that it has added two seasoned executives to help grow its middle-market and commercial real estate loan portfolios.

SCBT's planned acquisition of Peoples Bancorp. in South Carolina is being described as small, safe and strategic. Analysts believe most M&A next year will follow a similar blueprint.

First United Bancorp Inc. in Boca Raton, Fla., is unloading three of the seven western Florida branches it inherited when it acquired the failed Old Harbor Bank in Clearwater in October.

The central bank on Tuesday released a 173-page proposal governing how it plans to supervise systemically important banks and nonbanks. The plan covers everything from capital requirements to stress tests.

Pacific Capital Bancorp in Santa Barbara, Calif., is using some of its excess cash to pay down debt and resume paying interest on trust preferred securities.

Taylor Capital Group Inc. in Rosemont, Ill., has taken its first step in beefing up its common equity by completing a $35 million rights offering.

SCBT Financial Corp. in Columbia, S.C., announced Tuesday morning that it is buying the $546 million-asset Peoples Bancorporation Inc. in Easley, S.C., for $28 million in stock.

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Talmer Bancorp Inc. in Troy, Mich., said Monday that it had completed its acquisition of Lake Shore Wisconsin Corp. in Glenwood City.

Late last year, several ailing banks landed new equity and several hit the ground running in 2011. Still, analysts caution that some recaps could hit the wall in 2012.

A panel of Wall Street banking experts met recently to discuss how community banks can best navigate through an uncertain year ahead.

Associated Banc-Corp in Green Bay, Wis., said that it will close 21 branches across three states by mid-2012.

A small South Florida bank is now considered to be undercapitalized after it restated year-to-date results to show a larger loss than first reported.

The Bailey Building and Loan Association was one of the worst run banks in America. It would have topped the FDIC's problem bank list, if such a list had existed in 1946. In fact it almost certainly would have failed every financial test of today's regulators. The institution was poorly capitalized, its assets were concentrated in a single asset class, and it was a subprime mortgage lender. Of course, it was also a figment of Frank Capra's imagination.

BankUnited Inc. in Miami Lakes, Fla., opened three new branches on both Florida coasts Monday and now has opened a dozen branches in its home state since Nov. 7.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The National Credit Union Administration announced this morning it liquidated Birmingham Financial FCU, a $1.3 million community development credit union it has run under conservatorship since October and assigned the remnants of the year's 15th credit union failure to $113 million eCO Credit Union of Birmingham.

CFS Bancorp's chief executive and chairman, Thomas F. Prisby, will retire after almost 30 years with the company, and his responsibilities are being split between two replacements.

Analysts believe that private equity has become more skittish about quick returns from banking.