The biggest bank M&A agreement of the year might not have happened if the buyer, Sterling Financial, had refused to prove to Astoria Financial that it had thoroughly vetted the deal with regulators.

The Westbury, N.Y., company is angling for an acquisition as it approaches the $50 billion-asset mark.

The Tulsa, Okla., company also benefited from higher interest and fee revenue while keeping expenses under control.

The New York company also reported a wider net interest margin and lower noninterest expenses.

Many banks curtailed leveraged lending following the financial crisis, and for good reason. But we may be on the verge of a leveraged-loan comeback.

The results handily beat estimates as the company benefited from CEO Ellen Alemany’s ongoing effort to shed businesses and simplify operations.

The Georgia company invested in HCSB Financial's recapitalization a year before agreeing to buy the coastal South Carolina bank. Doing so allowed United to stay to close to HCSB and its board, which helped when the time came to discuss a deal.

President and COO Ignacio Alvarez will replace Richard Carrion as CEO on July 1.

Merger-related expenses cut into the Pittsburgh company's earnings, though management is excited about growth opportunities in North Carolina.

Sierra will pay $36 million for the parent of the $257 million-asset Ojai Community Bank in a deal that should close by the end of this year.

Forecasts for better times ahead in banking have sellers wanting more and buyers pursuing less.

The deal is the latest coastal acquisition for United Community. For HCSB, the sale is the final chapter in a turnaround that began 13 months earlier.

Mariner Kemper, UMB's chief executive, said he struggled with the decision to sell Scout Investments to Raymond James. Selling made more sense than pumping more capital into the beleaguered business.

The company has hired an investment bank to help it consider strategic alternatives, which could also include recapitalizing.

Despite merger-related charges, the Cleveland bank's first-quarter profit climbed 63% as the addition of a million new customers led to strong gains in both interest and fee income.

The move -- a "co-branding partnership," as the two CUs called it -- is believed to be the first of its kind in Hawaii.

The Ohio company said it is retaining more FirstMerit deposit accounts than it had projected. At the same time, Huntington is moving forward with cost-cutting tied to the acquisition.

The Mississippi company reported loan growth but a dip in profits after a first-quarter acquisition, and it warned that it is on alert for any new “lag” in the energy sector.

The Columbus, Ga., company also announced late Monday that it is buying the credit card assets and brokered deposits of the retailer Cabela's and will then sell the card portfolio to Capital One.

Bank earns $75 million for saving Bass Pro Shops's acquisition of rival outdoor retailer; Trump to name Randal Quarles as Fed's vice chairman for bank supervision.