Simmons First National in Pine Bluff, Ark., has agreed to buy Citizens National Bancorp in Athens, Tenn.

HCSB Financial in South Carolina recently raised $45 million from a group led by Castle Creek Capital Partners, showing that big investors are still comfortable placing bets on financial firms. The challenge for banks like HCSB will be to find ways to put that capital to work years after other institutions were able to start playing offense.

BB&T in Winston-Salem, N.C., plans to cut 240 jobs and close 28 branches as part of its integration of National Penn Bancshares.

Six years ago the family that controlled Home State Bancorp in Colorado said they were in it for the long haul. But, after a methodical review process tied to estate planning, family members decided to cash in their holdings.

Grant Bancshares in Natchitoches, La., has agreed to buy Tri-State Bank and Trust in Haughton, La.

Chatter about a potential sale of Comerica has raised questions about how regulators would vet the sale of a large institution. Here's a look at some of the biggest banks to sell since the financial crisis, ranked by asset size.

Seacoast CEO Dennis Hudson, in a letter to the company's biggest shareholder, touted improved performance while questioning the timing of the investor's push for a sale.

A pair of Massachusetts thrifts have bought insurance agencies.

PacWest Bancorp in Los Angeles is the latest bank to exit its loss-share agreements with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

BBCN Bancorp in Los Angeles will rebrand itself as Hope Bancorp after buying Wilshire Bancorp. The $8.1 billion-asset BBCN also plans to change the name of its banking subsidiary to Bank of Hope after the deal closes.

As more fintech companies seek bank charters in the U.S., acquiring a community bank is one potential option.

Seattle, with great demographics and low unemployment, is an attractive market, but M&A is constrained by a dearth of locally owned banks.

Stephen Scherr, Goldman Sachs Group's chief strategy officer, will take on the additional role of chief executive officer for banking operations.

Approval from the Federal Reserve Board is all that stands between Bank of the Ozarks in Little Rock, Ark., and two acquisitions that will add $6.1 billion in assets.

BancAlliance, a network of community banks that has been snapping up loans from LendingClub, is weighing whether to suspend purchases on the online platform after the company said it's overhauling internal controls.

Coastal Carolina Bancshares in Myrtle Beach, S.C., said in a press release Thursday that it will pay $12.2 million in cash and stock for VistaBank in Aiken, S.C.

KeyCorp in Cleveland will open a regional headquarters in western New York as part of its acquisition of First Niagara Financial Group.

Recent speculation that Comerica is on the block has sparked a conversation about how regulators would vet the sale of a SIFI.

The head of a small bank in Massachusetts has negotiated a $1.3 million change-in-control payment when his bank gets sold even though he will remain with the new company. Investors in the seller complain that's unfair, but others say it can be a mutually beneficial incentive for M&A dealmakers.

Seacoast Banking in Florida is facing pressure from CapGen, its biggest investor, to generate better returns or sell to a larger institution.