Legal experts are becoming increasingly concerned that federal judges are questioning the right of a lender of secondary creditor to bid the full value of claims in Chapter 11 cases. For banks looking at bankruptcy, this development provides more encouragement to settle with certain debtholders before seeking legal protection.

The National Credit Union Administration has approved the sale of Flint River National Bank in Camilla, Ga., to Five Star Credit Union in Dothan, Ala.

Solera National Bancorp (SLRK) lost its proxy battle at the ballot box, though the Lakewood, Colo., company still hopes it can win in the courtroom.

The Arkansas company has been aggressive this year, agreeing to buy banks with a total of $3.4 billion in assets. The buying spree is partially driven by a currency lifted by a bankruptcy deal Simmons First completed last year.

United Bank in Zebulon, Ga., has agreed to acquire Monroe County Bank in Forsyth, Ga.

Simmons First National (SFNC) in Pine Bluff, Ark., has agreed to buy Liberty Bancshares in Springfield, Mo.

First Horizon National (FHN) in Memphis, Tenn., has agreed to buy 13 branches from Bank of America (BAC).

A unit of Sun Trust Banks (STI) has opened a corporate and investment banking office in Boston.

Poage Bankshares (PBSK) has fended off a proxy challenge from activist investor Joseph Stilwell.

Solera National in Colorado went through a messy proxy fight with its biggest shareholder. The contest prompted the company's OCC examiner to ask for an invitation to the meeting.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended May 24.

Royal Bank of Scotland's mission to sell its U.S. banking arm Citizens Financial Group to outside investors just got a major boost.

Intuit Inc. has entered an agreement to buy Check for $360 million, adding payment capabilities to its online and mobile personal financial management (PFM) offerings.

Several banks have thrived on failed-bank acquisitions since the financial crisis. Here are the most active shoppers, in terms of the number of failures they have bid on, based on data from SNL Financial.

The Ohio Division of Financial Institutions closed Columbia Savings Bank in Cincinnati on Friday.

Niche banks face a challenge when they consider acquisitions: they want to grow without undermining their specialized business models. First Business in Madison, Wis., worked around the problem by searching far and wide till it found a very similar bank in Kansas that wanted to sell.

Community banks that are looking to complete acquisitions are deciding to go public so they have a stronger currency to offer potential sellers. However, recent IPOs have not performed as well as earlier ones.

FNB Bancorp (FNBG) in South San Francisco is expanding into the East Bay with a deal to acquire Valley Community Bank in Pleasanton.

First Business Financial Services (FBIZ) of Madison, Wis., said Friday that it is acquiring the parent company of Alterra Bank in Leawood, Kan., for roughly $30.1 million in cash and stock.

The dramatic headwinds of the Affordable Care Act will result in increasing defaults and bankruptcy for many healthcare operators. Lenders should start evaluating risk in their healthcare portfolios now.