First Independent Bank has notified employees whose jobs will be eliminated after the Vancouver, Wash., bank is sold to Sterling Financial Corp. of Spokane, Wash.

Community Bank System Inc. in Syracuse, N.Y., is planning to raise $50 million in a stock sale primarily to fund its acquisition of 19 upstate New York branches from rival First Niagara Financial Group Inc.

Last week's wave of acquisitions involving sellers with less than $500 million in assets could present an opportunity for investors who want to get in on consolidation but lack the large sums of cash held at private equity firms.

Cautious executives at big regionals offer strict criteria for dealmaking, emphasize internal growth and play up niche targets in sharing their M&A outlooks.

Virgin Money Holdings U.K. Ltd. is in the final stages of buying part of MBNA Europe Bank Ltd.'s 10 billion-pound ($15.5 billion) U.K. and Irish credit card portfolio, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

Tennessee Commerce Bancorp has missed a regulatory deadline for improving its capital ratios and is now warning investors that it is likely to fail if it is unable to raise fresh capital or find a buyer.

LONDON - Bridgepoint is in exclusive talks to buy Morgan Stanley's wealth management unit, Quilter, a person familiar with the situation told Dow Jones Newswires Monday.

WASHINGTON — In the first three closures of the year, regulators shuttered institutions in Georgia, Florida and Pennsylvania.

Kelly King is bullish about BB&T's growth opportunity this year, and he believes the company has many options when it comes to M&A.

Bank of the West in El Paso, Texas, is changing its name to WestStar Bank to avoid confusion with a much larger San Francisco bank that shares its name.

Provident Bank president and chief executive Jack Kopnisky wasted no time in making good on his promise to hire bankers away from his competitors.

The rebound of credit card lending is having nasty side effects for Capital One Financial Corp. and American Express Co., which are increasingly spending more to compete for the most credit-worthy customers.

The Florida bank found out this week that the golden rule of M&A that sellers are in the driver's seat may not be true in this market. It was a major miscalculation, experts say.

After buying four failed banks in less than two years, City National Corp. in Los Angeles is now eyeing acquisitions of healthier banks while it continues to pursue organic growth in its existing markets.

Serial acquirer Grandpoint Capital Inc. has announced its first acquisition of 2012 as it prepares for the closing of its last announced deal.

Four months after its planned sale to Texas investment group fell through, The Bank Arlington near Dallas has found another buyer.

The agreements with rivals Community Bank System and Financial Institutions Inc. would complete First Niagara's planned divestitures in connection with its blockbuster deal for much of HSBC Bank's retail franchise.

Comerica Inc.'s fourth-quarter earnings were flat from a year earlier as merger-related charges masked the financial-services company's increase in loans.

Auburn National Bancorp in Alabama announced two moves that will largely offset each other during the first quarter.

Capital One Financial Corp.'s fourth-quarter profit fell almost 42% from year earlier to $407 million, as the bank's expenses surged.