The company recently received Fed approval to increase its ownership in Carter to 9%.

Salisbury Bancorp in Lakeville, N.Y., has agreed to buy a branch from ES Bancshares in Newburgh.

Huron Community Financial Services in East Tawas, Mich., is getting ready to offer insurance products.

First Business in Wis. to consolidate bank charters-

The company will pay $23.4 million for the $194 million-asset parent of Capaha Bank.

Larry Mazza, MVB’s chief executive, joined the board at BillGO.

There is optimism that consolidation could bounce back from a lackluster 2016 as bank stocks rally. At the same time, expectations of regulatory easing and tax reform could entice more banks to stay independent, at least in the short term.

The growth of digital channels is changing bank M&A values, forcing buyers to focus less on branches and more on the volume of customer data.

Advia Credit Union in Parchment, Mich., has agreed to buy Peoples Bank in Elkhorn, Wis.

Shore Bancshares in Easton, Md., has agreed to buy three branches around Baltimore from Northwest Bancshares in Warren, Pa.

An influx of new people to the Pacific Northwest and Southeast could have big implications for banking, from M&A to de novo efforts.

CenterState Banks in Winter Haven, Fla., is looking to raise at least $60 million through a public offering.

Columbia Banking System in Tacoma, Wash., landed the first sizeable deal of the New Year with an agreement to buy Pacific Continental in Eugene, Ore.

F.N.B., Iberiabank and Simmons First are among the banks entering new regions. A growing need for scale and increased use of technology are among the reasons for their aggressive moves.

Los Angeles fintech firm InvestCloud has acquired London-based Babel Systems for $20 million.

A little more than two years after Community National Bank in Great Neck, N.Y., agreed to sell itself, Stuart H. Lubow, its former chairman and CEO, has jumped back into banking.

A little more than two years after Community National Bank in Great Neck, N.Y., agreed to sell itself, Stuart H. Lubow, its former chairman and CEO, has jumped back into banking.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

When Diebold wrapped up its $1.8 billion Wincor Nixdorf acquisition last August, there was one asterisk on the deal: The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)—which this week threw a flag on Mastercard’s proposed acquisition of VocaLink—wanted to explore whether the ATM network giants’ merger stifled local competition.

TFB Bancorp CEO Mary Lynn Lenz believes bankers and directors should hold frank discussions about selling, even if it means having difficult and emotional exchanges. She should know after selling four banks over the last decade.