Deals involving large community and midsize banks dominated M&A in 2013. The motives and market conditions involved differed dramatically, but all the dealmakers had -- and in some cases still have -- tough questions to answer from regulators, investors and activists.

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

Buoyed by its success on the West Coast, Operation Hope is partnering with the likes of SunTrust and Popular Community Bank to set up its financial literacy centers in such cities as Memphis, Atlanta, Washington and New York.

Further delays in the M&T/Hudson City deal were a reminder of how hard it is to manage banks in the limbo between the announcements and closings of M&A agreements. Tougher regulatory scrutiny means longer waits and greater risk of cancellation.

Bankers have almost become used to the intense growth of new rules in the five years since the financial crisis, but some see a light at the end of the tunnel as the agencies inch toward the end of Dodd-Frank rulemakings and the economy improves.

Most bankers are reluctant to shrink the size or number of their physical locations, but for the New Jersey lender ConnectOne, "the primary channel is no longer the branch on the corner." CEO Frank Sorrentino III discusses how ConnectOne has expanded its business in the competitive New York market by embracing technology instead of building many branches.

Interest rates will rise sooner or later, and banks should be prepared to manage their risk exposures, according to a new report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Banc of California suffered from growing pains -- and a big third-quarter loss -- due to rapid expansion. CEO Steven Sugarman must prove to investors in 2014 that his efforts are leading to a stronger company.

It should be obvious that no one in his or her right mind would design the bank regulatory system we have today. No third-world country's bureaucracy is so byzantine.

Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) in Columbus, Ohio, plans to close nine branches after its acquisition of Camco Financial (CAFI) in Cambridge, Ohio.

Anchor Bancorp Wisconsin in Madison plans to return to the Nasdaq through an offering of common stock after it restructured debt by filing for bankruptcy.

In a wide-ranging interview, Carver Bancorp CEO Deborah Wright says she expects 2014 to see the New York bank target more underbanked customers, expand lending to nonprofits and serve as a beacon of hope to other minority-owned banks.

Three states recently legalized Internet wagering, but so far banks have been reluctant to let gamblers use credit cards to make their bets.

Unregulated entities face a tough road ahead. More banks will align IT risk with enterprise risk management. Banks will place heightened emphasis on their overall risk management vision, and data architecture will emerge as critical competency.

MutualFirst Financial (MFSF) in Muncie, Ind., has exited the Treasury Department's Small Business Lending Fund.

First West Virginia Bancorp (FWV) in Wheeling has shifted some of its leaders following the death of its longtime chief executive.

MBT Financial (MBTF) in Monroe, Mich., is selling $14 million of common stock to two institutional investors and will sell another $6 million of stock through a rights offering.

Parke Bancorp (PKBK) in Sewell, N.J., has raised roughly $20 million in a private placement.

When Tom Curry was first named as comptroller, there were some doubts about whether he was the right pick to address the industry's problems and the agency's battered reputation. Yet during the past year, Curry has reasserted the OCC's role in banking regulation and appears distinctly more comfortable in his role.

WASHINGTON — The American Bankers Association plans to challenge the Volcker Rule in court unless regulators immediately suspend portions of the controversial regulation that restrict certain collateralized debt obligations of trust-preferred securities.