The Amarillo company is buying First National Bank of Tahoka, continuing the industry’s consolidation in the state.

The $62.7 million merger of Linkbancorp and Gratz Bank would create a company with over $800 million of assets and nine branches stretching from Harrisburg to the Philadelphia suburbs.

A group that includes the private equity firms Apollo Global Management and Blackstone Group is in talks to acquire Wells Fargo’s student loan portfolio, according to people familiar with the matter.

The deal would create a $168 billion banking company in the Midwest and be the latest in a string of regional bank combinations.

The Boston-based firm has been informally working with an adviser to review strategic alternatives for State Street Global Advisors, including a merger with a competitor, people familiar with the matter said.

The incoming Biden administration must take steps to block mergers that could create monopolies, such as Visa's pending acquisition of a competitor.

FleetCor Technologies, whose peers with fleet-card roots include WEX and U.S. Bank Voyager, has been on an M&A streak that netted several B2B payments specialists in areas that take FleetCor in new directions, as rivals also diversify.

First Kansas, part of the multibank holding company Ottawa Bancshares, expects to complete the acquisition early next year.

JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon wants to remind the world that his bank is looking to make an acquisition. "If you've got brilliant ideas, give me a call," the CEO said.

Executives from U.S. banks continue to play down near-term expectations, but they say customers are growing more confident ahead of the rollout of coronavirus vaccines, and that key commercial lending segments could drive an economic rebound.