Acquisition talks fell through in the final hours, according to reports. Also: Visa launched another stablecoin pilot on Visa Direct; the Bank of England seeks input on stablecoin restrictions; and more in this week's global payments roundup.

The Boston-based custody bank has acquired PriceStats, a private economic researcher. The move comes at a time when federal data agencies are weathering budget cuts, political attacks and a government shutdown.

The Pittsburgh-based bank said Friday that it will focus on building 300 branches in high-growth markets by 2030. It also minimized the prospects for another acquisition on the heels of its recent deal for Colorado-based FirstBank.

The volume of home equity lines of credit expanded for the 14th consecutive quarter, driven largely by fintechs and other nonbanks that are accounting for more and more of the business.

A regulatory filing Wednesday sheds more light on how the megamerger came together. It also details the compensation arrangements for Comerica CEO Curtis Farmer, who will become Fifth Third's vice chair.

With the U.K. and U.S. giving a green light to the company's $22.7 billion scale-building deal to buy Worldpay, Global Payments has begun its integration strategy.

The Tacoma, Washington-based bank, which has completed two mergers since 2023, said Thursday that it will buy back up to $700 million of its own shares over the next year.

The Billings, Montana-based bank finds itself in the crosshairs of a high-profile activist investor. On Thursday, it stuck to its organic growth plan and said it isn't interested in using its excess capital to restructure its securities book.

Nine months after acquiring Heartland Financial, Missouri's largest bank posted a complicated quarter.

Park National Corp's $317 million, all-stock deal for First Citizens Bancshares would give the buyer a presence in markets that are expected to grow faster than its legacy Ohio footprint.

FirstSun Capital Bancorp plans to buy First Foundation in an effort to accelerate its Southern California growth. The $785 million transaction follows FirstSun's failed takeover of Seattle-based HomeStreet.

The acquisition of the prime-focused U.S. fintech is expected to boost Barclays' return on tangible equity and digital capabilities starting in 2027.

Huntington's $7.4 billion acquisition of Cadence would give the Ohio-based bank a top-five market share in both Dallas and Houston. It comes just a week after Huntington closed its last Texas acquisition.

The Arkansas-based company spent nearly four years on the M&A sidelines, grappling with asset quality issues and litigation tied to its 2022 acquisition of Texas-based Happy State Bank. Now it's signed a letter of intent to buy an unnamed bank.

Nicolet Bankshares has agreed to buy MidWestOne Financial in an $864 million, all-stock deal. The acquisition will move the Wisconsin-based buyer into Iowa and the Twin Cities, while also allowing it to vault past a key regulatory threshold.

Needham and Provident banks received all regulatory approvals and merge date; JPMorganChase hired veteran tech dealmaker Kevin Brunner from Bank of America; RBC Capital Markets will expand its presence in the equity derivatives market with two senior hires from UBS; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

Boston-based Eastern Bankshares is focused on organic growth, but it would "evaluate the opportunity" for M&A if a deal presents itself, its CEO said Friday. The comments came four days after an activist investor criticized the bank's recent M&A transactions.

Farmers National Banc Corp. in Ohio plans to acquire in-state rival Middlefield Banc Corp. in a deal that will deepen the buyer's footprint in Columbus.

An apparent increase in large-scale borrower fraud and the hot environment for bank mergers were the key themes as banks discussed their third-quarter results.

U.K. regulators approved the acquisition, which is part of Global Payments' plan to scale its point of sale restructuring.