Investors Bancorp (ISBC) in Short Hills, N.J., could raise more than $2.6 billion as part of a highly anticipated second-step conversion.

Black Knight Financial Services is seeking a buyer for PCLender, one of its three loan origination systems, three years after acquiring it.

American Banker on Friday received the 2014 Jesse Neal Award for Best Website from the Association of Business Information and Media Companies.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (ACRE) has received $50 million in new funding that it says it will use to increase its lending.

Analysts Joseph Fenech and Kevin Fitzsimmons have resigned from the research department at Sandler O'Neill.

Thomas Lee, the JPMorgan Chase chief equity strategist who has called for gains in American stocks for six straight years and got them in four, is leaving the firm.

You might expect Manolo Sanchez, the CEO of BBVA Compass, to renounce traditional branches since his bank is spending $117 million on the online-only startup Simple. But he joined other senior bank executives in defending the branch as "still relevant."

A trio of mutual thrifts have filed paperwork to sell a total of $350 million in stock as part of planned conversions to stock companies.

The $3.7 billion-asset company filed a registration form with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on March 10 for an initial public offering.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Japan's biggest bank, raised a record $4 billion selling bonds to help fund its goal of becoming a top 10 U.S. lender.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is one of the few government agencies that remains popular with community banks.

The Florida company's initial backers made a lot of money from a 2009 government-backed deal. Still, BankUnited's PE backers say the final sale of their stake in the resurrected lender is bittersweet.

A New Jersey appeals court ruled that debt buyers do not have to provide notice to consumers when debts are purchased and assigned but must prove they own the debt and the amount before they can collect. Further, electronic business records are sufficient for proof.

The Michigan company is buying Nortwestern Bancorp, fleshing out a major part of its franchise map. Though Northwestern's loan portfolio has been steadily shrinking, Chemical executives expect to generate double-digit loan growth from the seller's markets.

Cardinal Financial (CFNL) in Tysons Corner, Va., has merged its two banks.

Ameris Bancorp (ABCB) in Moultrie, Ga., has agreed to buy Coastal Bankshares in Savannah, Ga.

Chemical Financial (CHFC) in Midland, Mich., has agreed to buy Northwest Bancorp in Traverse City, Mich.

In his annual shareholder address, the longtime CEO explained how M&T is working to fix its BSA compliance issues, took a swipe at megabanks and sang the praises of the bank's hometown.

The Charlotte, N.C., bank offers a model for other community banks that have expanded quickly in recent years but face a pricier M&A market: focus on smaller deals that provide additional liquidity and plug geographic holes.

Four private-equity investors have sold their remaining stakes in BankUnited (BKU) in Miami Lakes, Fla., for almost $393 million.