AmericanWest Bank in Spokane, Wash., has agreed to buy eight southern California branches from First PacTrust Bancorp in Irvine, Calif.

The Michigan company is set to raise up to $100 million if the right acquisition is available. Analysts say in an erratic M&A market, it is better to be ready to raise capital than to raise it and wait.

A Louisiana Senate Committee has advanced a bill to centralize and strengthen collection efforts for the state government.

Oxford Bank in Michigan has terminated its planned sale to Level One Bancorp due to regulatory delays and an improvement in Oxford's financial condition.

Sallie Mae is looking to unlock the value of its lending operation and an asset-hungry bank could be the one holding the key.

BNC Bancorp in High Point, N.C., has agreed to buy Randolph Bank & Trust in Asheboro, N.C.

First it was Jamie Dimon's cufflinks. Now JPMorgan Chase is cementing its reputation as a fashion-forward bank, with a Marie Claire article about Chief Financial Officer Marianne Lake.

The bank wants to double in size by pursuing acquisitions and hiring bankers away from competitors.

The T. Rowe Price Group has agreed to sell its banking unit to the investor Jacob Safra.

SLM Corp. believes its bank unit would be more valuable as its own company, but it could also be attractive to other banks eager to add earning assets.

Debt buyer Encore Capital Group announced it is acquiring a controlling stake in Cabot Credit Management, an estimated $192 million deal coming just two weeks after Cabot was sold to J.C. Flowers.

Carlyle Group plans to sell roughly $40 million of common stock in Boston Private Financial Holdings.

Banco Sabadell in Spain has agreed to buy Lloyds Banking Group’s international private banking business in Miami.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended May 25.

Latin American banks are eager to expand in South Florida, but there are few banks in Miami that can provide immediate heft. As a result, even the city's smallest banks could spark bidding wars if they choose to sell.

Delanco Bancorp in N.J. (DLNO) said Wednesday it would reorganize itself from a mutual holding company structure via the sale of stock in a new company to be formed in connection with the conversion.

Sallie Mae (SLM) is seeking to separate its education loan management and consumer banking businesses into two publicly traded entities.

Bank of Montreal, Canada's fourth- biggest lender, posted second-quarter profit that missed analysts' expectations after taking charges tied to cost-cutting and its takeover of Wisconsin lender Marshall & Ilsley Corp.

Skowhegan Savings has agreed to buy five branches from fellow Maine lender Camden National Corporation.

The city of Saluda, N.C. has joined the growing ranks of local governments looking at either hiring a new collection agency or contracting with one for the first time.