With two of its largest investors pressuring it to find a buyer, First California Financial Group Inc. in Westlake Village has hired an unnamed investment bank to help it explore its options.

With six acquisitions under its belt and a seventh in the works, the Los Angeles company strikes again with a deal for Phoenix business bank.

Familiar merger concepts are blowing up at a time when branch networks are being relegated to more of a supportive role.

Exchange operators Deutsche Boerse AG and NYSE Euronext Wednesday said the European Union has informed them of its decision to prohibit the planned $17 billion combination.

Legislators in California on Tuesday pushed through tougher regulations for the collection industry, approving a bill opponents say will create an unfair burden on debt buyers by requiring excessive documentation and restricting legitimate collection efforts.

The regulatory nod that allowed prepaid card company Green Dot to buy a bank marked a culmination of founder Steve Streit's rocky, years-long effort to move from the profitable fringes of banking into the mainstream.

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CenterState Bank in Winter Haven, Fla., bought a failed bank Friday. John Corbett, the head of CenterState, hired the target's new CEO months ago. He has used that philosophy several times to expand — and doesn't plan to stop there.

Many blame the current banking industry malaise on the economy. Its problems, however, involve deeper structural issues.

GE Capital has agreed to run the toy retailer's consumer credit card program and buy $900 million of its card assets from JPMorgan Chase & Co. Expect more deals like it this year.

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday announced two enforcement actions against two banks, the Bank of Bartlett in Tennessee and Capitol City Bancshares Inc. in Atlanta.

MountainOne Financial Partners in North Adams, Mass., is merging two of its thrifts under one charter in an effort to become more efficient.

First Mariner Bancorp Inc. in Baltimore said that its fourth-quarter loss narrowed slightly from a year earlier.

Sun Bancorp Inc. in Vineland, N.J., narrowed the size of its loss in the fourth quarter after moving more nonperforming assets off its books.

Toronto-Dominion Bank, Canada's second-largest lender, may expand wealth-management operations in the U.S. as it seeks a broader market for mutual funds and investment advice.

The value of mergers and acquisitions transactions whose targets were based in Western Europe fell over 60% from December to January, according to data from information provider Zephyr on Tuesday.

NBC Bancshares LLC in Lincoln, Neb., has completed its purchase of a controlling interest in a unit of Capitol Bancorp Ltd.

Regulators have terminated two cease-and-desist orders against a small Los Angeles commercial bank after a recapitalization effort and a management shakeup.

CenterState Banks Inc. posted its first quarterly profit since mid-2011 because of bank acquisitions.

Republic Bancorp and the FDIC seemed to have put last year's legal tussle to rest after reaching an agreement to transfer ownership of Tennessee Commerce Bank.