Banks should be prepared for the potential that an investor with a growing stake does not have the institution’s interests at heart.

Alerus Financial in Grand Forks, N.D., has agreed to buy Alliance Benefit Group North Central States, a retirement plan administrator in Minnesota.

Wells Fargo plans to systematically poach Credit Suisse's private brokers in the U.S. and their clients — and the Swiss bank is OK with that.

The $3.5 billion-asset Fidelity Southern said in a press release Monday that it will pay $27 million in stock for the $205 million-asset American Enterprise. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter.

German American Bancorp in Jasper, Ind., has agreed to buy River Valley Bancorp in Madison, Ind.

CIC Bancshares’ sale to Heartland Financial reflect a good cultural fit between the companies, but it also shows how the seller’s management team struggled to find a suitable way to provide shareholders with liquidity.

HomeTrust Bancshares in Asheville, N.C., has agreed to pay an additional $484,000 to complete its July 2013 acquisition of BankGreenville Financial.

First National Bancorp in Green Forest, Ark., has agreed to buy Twin Lakes Community Bank in Flippin, Ark.

State Bank Financial in Atlanta has acquired Patriot Capital, a provider of equipment financing to gas stations and commercial petroleum users.

The third quarter showed the kind of solid results Citizens Financial hopes to achieve as a public company split off from Royal Bank of Scotland, but much work remains for Chief Executive Bruce Van Saun. He spoke with American Banker about what went right this quarter and how he's working to change the company's culture.

Prosperity has built itself into one of Texas' largest banks over the past decade and now it's beginning to reap the benefits that come with scale.

Astoria Financial, a New York City- area thrift under pressure from activist investor Basswood Capital Management to boost the share price, is exploring a sale, according to people familiar with the matter.

Old National is taking advantage of low interest rates by buying more than a dozen branches in solid real estate markets. An expected accounting rule change could encourage more banks to do the same.

Quarterly profits fell slightly at Umpqua Holdings in Portland, Ore., because of fewer proceeds from loan sales, tighter margins and other factors.

The Bancorp in Wilmington, Del., has agreed to sell most of its health-savings account portfolio to HealthEquity in Draper, Utah.

Regions Financial in Birmingham, Ala., has acquired BlackArch Partners, a Charlotte, N.C., firm that handles M&A for middle-market companies.

Anchor Bancorp in Lacey, Wash., could eventually sell itself after reaching a truce with an activist investor.

Level One Bancorp in Farmington Hills, Mich., has agreed to buy Bank of Michigan in Farmington Hills. Level One said it will pay $17 a share in cash for the $110 million-asset Bank of Michigan. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter.

Heartland Financial USA is Dubuque, Iowa, has agreed to buy CIC Bancshares in Denver.

Nasdaq has acquired SecondMarket Solutions, a New York software-as-a-service provider that focuses on helping companies prepare for an IPO.