Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida, which has bought 10 banks over the past decade, has agreed to acquire community banks in Sarasota and Melbourne.

Scott Credit Union of Edwardsville said it is acquiring Tempo Bank in Trenton, Illinois. It is the fifth such transaction announced since Aug. 5 and the 10th of the year.

Critics of consolidation say the Federal Reserve and other agencies are too quick to greenlight bank deals. But the truth is banks face many hurdles to merger approval, and they don’t bother to apply — or take a hint and withdraw their applications — if they can’t clear them all.

It would be the second bank acquisition for Fairwinds, which bought Friends Bank in Florida in 2019.

Goldman Sachs Group agreed to buy the asset-management arm of the Dutch insurer NN Group NV as the bank grabs a toehold in the fast-growing sustainable-investing industry and boosts its European ties.

Credijusto, the first fintech in Mexico to buy a bank, plans to cater to a market that traditional banks often overlook: smaller businesses engaged in commerce between the two countries.

Minnwest Bank, which focuses largely on agriculture lending, said it will “become more sophisticated" with its mortgage and consumer lending services by acquiring Roundbank.

M&T in New York, which is seeking regulatory approval to buy People’s United Financial, recently disclosed plans for around 1,000 layoffs. The backlash — focused on job cuts in the seller’s hometown of Bridgeport — has been stronger than in other recent deals.

The deal will help the bank serve small-business customers that are shifting to digital payments.

Three credit unions have announced deals to acquire community banks in the past week. The latest is the Wisconsin-based Royal, which is buying the $441 million-asset Lake Area Bank.

The combination of Orion Federal Credit Union and Financial Federal Bank is the seventh credit union-bank merger announced this year.

The acquisition of Florida-based Service Finance Co. would expand the North Carolina bank’s presence in the point-of-sale lending business.

The combination of American Express and its fintech subsidiary Kabbage is starting to bear fruit at an opportune time, as credit card companies increasingly expand their range of products to boost revenue.

Ann Arbor Bancorp had agreed to buy FNBH in February 2020 but backed off four months later amid economic uncertainty. The two sides have reunited, though the price tag rose.

The $1.5 billion-asset SAFE FCU in Sumter, South Carolina, is combining with the $3 million-asset Sumter City Credit Union.

As tech giants rush into point-of-sale lending, the smaller companies that built the market are counting on acquisitions and partnerships with specialized vendors to defend their turf and pull in new borrowers.

The deal would mark a first step in Chief Executive Jane Fraser’s plan to exit 13 retail markets across the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the Middle East.

Chabot Federal Credit Union is combining with University Credit Union, which was founded on the UCLA campus.

Alabama Credit Union's agreement to buy Security Federal Savings Bank, a small commercial lender, renews lingering questions about whether small banks are prey for tax-advantaged credit unions.

The Rhode Island company has been snapping up banks and nonbanks alike. It says that buying Willamette Management Associates in Oregon will augment its 2017 purchase of Western Reserve Partners.