National Penn Bancshares in Allentown, Pa., plans to raise $100 million through a debt offering.

Citizens Financial Group, a U.S. subsidiary of Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, is seeking a valuation of as much as $14 billion as it enters the final stages of an initial public offering.

The $2.5 billion-asset QCR said in a press release Friday that the new company will include the mortgage staff from its Quad City Bank & Trust.

Banc of California has announced extensive community reinvestment goals as part of its planned purchase of 20 Banco Popular branches in Southern California. The agreement, which appeased a community group that had opposed the sale, shows how much power such organizations wield when it comes to M&A.

Camden Fine at the Independent Community Bankers of America believes entrepreneurial bankers will return to starting new banks in the latter half of this decade as the industry adjusts to the new business conditions and as consolidation creates voids.

BancorpSouth in Tupelo, Miss., has been hit with a consent order tied to compliance weaknesses tied to the Bank Secrecy Act and the Patriot Act.

A large shareholder at Valley Community Bank is objecting to the Pleasanton, Calif., company's sale to FNB Bancorp in South San Francisco.

A judge has ruled that the involuntary bankruptcy of FMB Bancshares in Lakeland, Ga., may proceed, a decision that could embolden more trust-preferred creditors to pursue a similar strategy.

Congressional Bancshares in Bethesda, Md., has agreed to buy American Bank Holdings in Bethesda.

JPMorgan Chase has sold a retirement plan services business unit in Overland Park, Kan., to Great-West Financial in Greenwood Village, Colo.

Intervest Bancshares in New York has officially exited the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Leaders of large community banks in the Southeast are keen on acquisitions, though their level of interest varies widely. Some, like Home BancShares in Arkansas, are eager to line up the next big deal. Others, including Bank of the Ozarks, seem content to steal lenders and open offices after several years of acquisitions.

Citigroup has agreed to sell its remaining 41 branches in Texas to BB&T, in an ongoing effort to trim its branch network.

First South Bancorp in Washington, N.C., has become the latest community bank to buy branches from Bank of America.

Mt. Washington Savings Bank in Cincinnati is planning to convert from a mutual savings and loan association to a company partly owned by public shareholders.

Cardinal Financial in Tysons Corner, Va., has agreed to buy a Virginia branch from Virginia Heritage Bank.

Pacific Premier in Irvine, Calif., has raised approximately $59 million through a private placement.

Prudential Bancorp in Philadelphia has agreed to add a director recommended by activist investor Seidman Group.

As consolidation heats up, bankers are pushing back against lawsuits challenging a deal's merits. Experts say the law firms pursuing litigation are motivated by fees and often withdraw when bank lawyers use legal maneuvers to lengthen the process.

Bank of America has taken a significant reputational hit as a result of its 2008 acquisition of Countrywide Financial. Could it have mitigated some of the damage with a different branding strategy?