HSBC Holdings PLC has approached a number of European and Japanese insurers regarding a possible sale of its global general insurance business, the South China Morning Post reported Thursday, citing unnamed people familiar with the situation.

BB&T took a back seat to the more acquisitive Wells Fargo during the downturn. No more.

TMG Financial Services’ acquisition this month of the $16 million credit card portfolio of Warren, Mich.-based Extra Credit Union provides evidence that a resurgence in card-portfolio sales is taking place, one observer suggests.

ECB Bancorp is set to receive nearly $80 million in capital by mid-November. The $942 million-asset company is laying out a three-pronged strategy of acquisitions, de novo branch expansion and organic growth to get to $3 billion to $5 billion in the next few years.

Jefferson Bancshares Inc. of Morristown, Tenn., restated its last quarter as a loss after its take on bad investments and loans worsened.

Cascade Bancorp in Bend, Ore., has agreed to sell about $108 million of loans, generating $58 million in proceeds in an effort to remain well capitalized.

Private equity investor Christopher Flowers quibbled with some facts in "Too Big to Fail" but not its choice of actor to portray him.

ACI Worldwide has extended its exchange offer for shares of S1 until Oct. 31. The offer, which has a blended value of $9.44 per share, was set to expire Sept. 28.

The acquisition of ISU Stetson-Beemer was Wells' fifth deal for an insurance firm since last fall.

U.K. entrepreneur Hugh Osmond's Sun Capital Partners remains interested in buying the retail branch network being sold by Lloyds Banking Group, but outstanding issues with the business still need to be resolved, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday.

F&M Bancorporation Inc. in Tulsa, Okla., has raised $78 million in capital that it plans to use for expansion in Oklahoma and Texas.

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When the two workforce optimization vendors combine, banks' choices for software to manage tellers, call center reps and back-office employees will narrow.

Even when the overseas problem gets fixed, capital rules and other uncertainties will have to be resolved before deals really get rolling.

In a Q&A during a FIG Partners banking conference, Jack Wagner discussed growth opportunities. M&A will likely come from traditional deals rather than failed bank acquisitions. He is also keeping an eye on costs should the economy remain stalled.

At its second hearing on the deal, Capital One said its merger with ING's online bank unit was the safest option for the system.

Bankers have reacted well to acting FDIC chief Gruenberg's first speech since taking helm of the agency, but say actions will speak louder than words.

Debt buyer Encore Capital Group Inc. based in San Diego, has promoted Gregory L. Call to Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.

Deals are a beacon for hackers, who can exploit deficiencies in the systems of merging banks, their vendors or their advisors during negotiations or the integration.

Striking its second deal in less than a week, BB&T Corp.'s insurance unit announced Tuesday that it is expanding into the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan market by acquiring Atlantic Risk Management Corp. of Columbia, Md.