Amerasia Bank in New York has agreed to buy a troubled community bank in Florida. The $291 million-asset bank will acquire Great Eastern Bank of Florida, says Jimmy Tsai, Amerasia's chief operating officer.

The Treasury Department is scheduled on Tuesday to auction warrants to purchase 1.2 million shares of common stock in M&T Bank.

Prosperity Bancshares (PB) in Houston has agreed to buy Coppermark Bancshares in Oklahoma City, Okla., for $193.9 million in cash and stock.

The $5.8 billion-asset holding company of Chemical Bank in Midland, Mich., said Monday it has completed its $8.1 million purchase of 21 branches from Independent Bank (IBCP) in Ionia, Mich.

The $1.75 billion-asset company disclosed late last week that its purchase agreements with ValStone Partners, a private-equity firm in Michigan, had been terminated. Calls to Capitol (CBCRQ) and ValStone were not immediately returned.

Business development companies have stepped into a void left by other lenders, more are going public, and they could boost the leveraged-loan market.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended December 8.

Ameris Bancorp (ABCB) in Moultrie, Ga., has announced a streamlining plan that includes closing or selling about 20% of its branches.

A Chicago pension fund wants the banks to pay for losses on mortgage-backed securities because of their trustee roles, but the banks argue any blame lies with others.

Alliance Bank in Syracuse, N.Y., has warned that almost 100 jobs would be eliminated after its merger with NBT Bank next year.

FirstAtlantic Bank in Jacksonville, Fla., has acquired a branch from Prosperity Bank in St. Augustine, Fla.

Two troubled banks were sold through bankruptcy auctions this month, and another is expected next week. The much-discussed recapitalization method has only recently gained traction.

Michael Larrowe, promoted to CEO of Cardinal Bankshares after a shareholder revolt capped a chaotic past year, is working to rebuild the company and its ties to the community.

Anne Doss has been put in charge of the personal and small-business insurance division at Wells Fargo, which has built up its insurance operation through acquisitions.

First PacTrust Bancorp (BANC) in Irvine, Calif., raised $43.1 million from the sale of senior notes.

Banco Português de Investimento, also known as Banco BPI and one of Portugal's biggest banks, is seeking regulatory approval to open a branch in Newark, according to state documents.

NCO Financial Systems Inc. plans to expand its call center operations in South Carolina.

A key investor in Webster Financial is reducing its stake in the Waterbury, Conn., company.

DCB Financial Corp. (DCBF) said Thursday it completed a sale of common stock to existing shareholders and local investors that netted $13.2 million in funds.

Capitol Bancorp had to postpone a bankruptcy hearing because, it says, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. repeatedly blocked it from paying the due-diligence costs of its new investors.