After operating exclusively in Massachusetts for more than a century, United Financial Bancorp (UBNK) in West Springfield is making the leap across the state line.

Morgan Stanley (MS) informed Citigroup Inc. (C) that it plans to give notice on Friday that it will exercise its right to purchase an additional 14% stake in their Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Holdings LLC joint venture.

The election inspector determined that the nominee for Stilwell Group was delinquent in turning in a signed master ballot, invalidating most of the firm's votes as it challenged the Renton, Wash., company.

Three years after a group of private equity firms bought BankUnited out of receivership, industry observers wonder if the deal really paved the way for other firms interested in consolidating banks.

A breakdown of M&A announcements for the week ended May 28.

Kip Weissman, partner with law firm Luse Gorman Pomerenk & Schick in Washington, says handful of shareholder spats around the country shows how more insurgent investors in small banks are "looking for a sale" to "make a nice return."

Gerald Host, Trustmark's CEO, expressed confidence in his company's purchase of BancTrust despite some analysts' concerns about the seller's weak deposit positions in key Alabama markets.

First Financial Northwest in Renton, Wash., and Stilwell Partners are both claiming victory following last week's annual meeting. A representative for the activist shareholder has threatened a legal challenge if its nominee isn't added to the board.

Two directors have resigned, and the Floyd, Va., company's CEO is on administrative leave. Those departures come less than a week after a coalition of angry investors led by Douglas Schaller replaced half of the six-member board.

The Federal Reserve Board has given a Premier Bank in Denver 90 days to become adequately capitalized or sell itself.

Freddie Mac acquired almost $26 billion of residential loans during April, a steep 38% decline from the month prior, a sign that originations may be slowing — or that the GSE is losing business to its cross-town rival.

SunTrust Mortgage hired former MetLife Home Loans executive Linda Steiner as a regional wholesale manager based in the Pacific Northwest.

Among the wave of community banks that have gone to market this month, 1st Enterprise Bank (FENB) was the rare bank below $1 billion of assets to sell shares at a premium to its equity.

Roughly two months after putting itself up for sale after its plan for raising fresh capital fell through, BancTrust Financial Group in Mobile, Ala., has found a buyer.

Lafayette, La., and Washington are over 1,000 miles apart, but Rusty Cloutier, the founder and chief executive of MidSouth Bancorp, keeps the nation's capital top of mind.

First Bancshares of Kansas City, Kan., agreed to sell a controlling stake to an investment group led by David Spehar, the former chief executive of another Kansas City community bank.

Broadway Financial of Los Angeles said it had received a warning letter about its failure to meet listing requirements. It has not yet filed its first-quarter results with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Renton, Wash., company has yet to announce the results of Thursday's vote, but an activist investor believes his group has won and warns that First Financial could challenge the outcome. Stilwell is attempting to oust Victor Karpiak, the company's chairman and CEO.

Bank dealmaking is no place for vanity, MidSouth CEO Rusty Cloutier says. Sellers need to get real about their prospects, and buyers and sellers need to look beyond face value and short-term valuations, he says in a Q&A.

First Republic Bank in San Francisco is planning to raise $150 million through a preferred stock offering.