Nationstar Mortgage bid roughly $2.907 billion for the origination and servicing assets of Residential Capital Corp., about $93 million shy of the top bid placed by Ocwen Financial and its partner Walter Investment Management Corp.

General Electric held takeover talks with New Jersey's Hudson City Bancorp shortly before the lender agreed to a $3.7 billion sale to M&T Bank in August, three people with knowledge of the matter said.

A state law that eased restrictions on credit card rates in Ohio influenced the move, the Columbus company said.

Leaders of the largest banks are using third-quarter calls to discuss a reluctance to pursue bank acquisitions. The underlying message? Smaller banks are likely to spur the next big wave of consolidation.

PL Capital recently put Malvern Bancorp and Orrstown Financial on notice that it is watching management's moves, while First Financial Northwest continues to absorb litigation costs months after an investor contested the results of an annual meeting.

Ocwen Financial won a $3 billion auction for Residential Capital's loan-servicing unit, outbidding Nationstar Mortgage as it aims to become the largest non-bank home-loan servicer.

Earnings at the $7.5 billion-asset company in DeWitt, N.Y., fell 8.5%, to $18.3 million, from a year earlier, it reported Tuesday.

Pacific Continental (PCBK) in Eugene, Ore., has agreed to buy Century Bank for $13.4 million in cash.

Lower yields and higher expenses weighed on Hudson City Bancorp (HCBK) in Paramus, N.J., in the third quarter.

An agreement to purchase $5.9 billion of assets from the retail giant positions TD for further growth in the credit-card business, while providing a blueprint for future deals.

Gregory Mitchell, who left First PacTrust Bancorp last month, has joined First Tech Federal Credit Union as president and CEO. In a letter posted on First Tech's website, Mitchell admitted to having a credit union membership while running at least two banks.

American Heritage in California had been facing pressure from the OCC to diversity beyond SBA lending. Rather than reinvent itself, the bank found an eager buyer in Sterling Financial, a Spokane, Wash., company that wants to expand the SBA platform.

Straying far from home is often a mistake. F.N.B. can speak to that from a past foray into Florida. But the Pennsylvania bank says its more focused deal in Maryland will work.

Ally Financial is selling its Canadian auto finance operation to Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) for $4.1 billion.

Synovus Financial (SNV) in Columbus, Ga., reported a slight uptick in third-quarter income from a year earlier as its credit costs declined.

Wilbur Ross, the billionaire who's taken stakes in distressed U.S. and European lenders, said he's interested in Spanish banking assets as the country takes steps to resolve bad loans stemming from its real-estate bubble.

BBCN Bancorp in Los Angeles has agreed to buy Pacific International Bancorp in Seattle.

Royal Bank of Canada, the nation's largest lender, agreed to buy Ally Financial's Canadian auto-finance and deposit business in a cash deal providing $4.1 billion in proceeds to Ally.

Want to sell your bank for the best possible price? It will pay to ride the merger wave early, dealmakers say.

A deal by TD Bank to buy Target's consumer credit card portfolio, which follows TD's acquisition of MBNA Canada late last year, will "significantly" expand the bank's card presence in North America.