The pairing of Rockville Financial in Connecticut and United Financial in Massachusetts would create a $5 billion-asset bank that can get more efficient yet invest in growth. More deals like it have been happening around the country this year.

General Electric Co. (GE) will sell as much as 20 percent of its North American consumer lending business in a 2014 initial public offering as Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt shrinks reliance on financial profits.

Rockville Financial (RCKB) in Rockville, Conn., will merge with United Financial Bancorp (UBNK) in West Springfield, Mass.

Old Line Bancshares in Bowie, Md., agreed to disclose more information about a recent acquisition when challenged by shareholders, but it refused to pay any money. That rare resistance could embolden other banks to fight such suits harder, experts say.

Nationstar, Ocwen and Walter Investment picked a tough time to make an aggressive push into mortgage lending, but their efforts could pay off once new mortgage rules kick in.

Valley Financial (VYFC) in Roanoke, Va., has exited the Troubled Asset Relief Program with the repurchase of a warrant the company issued to the Treasury Department in 2008.

A number of roll-up companies were built for an M&A market characterized by a torrent of failed banks, a dearth of available capital and lots of sellers. Things turned out much differently. Here's how one company, National Bank Holdings, has adjusted.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM)'s fourth-quarter trading revenue will be slightly down from last year, according to Michael Cavanagh, who co-runs the bank's corporate and investment bank.

The asset-based lending division will primarily provide lines of credit, loans and equipment financing to middle-market companies with annual revenue under $100 million, according to the company's Wednesday press release.

The $534 million-asset company said Wednesday that it sold about 203,000 shares of common stock and nearly 400,000 shares of non-voting common stock at $16.80 each to Castle Creek Capital Partners.

Horizon Bancorp (HBNC) in Michigan City, Ind., has agreed to buy SCB Bancorp (SCB) in East Lansing, Mich.

The $782 million-asset company said in a press release Tuesday that it halved its stake in Lender Service Provider, to 25%, during the third quarter after adding two members to the processing firm.

Capital Bank Financial (CBF) in Coral Gables, Fla., will revise certain financial statements in its 2012 annual report to reflect a better-than-expected balance sheet tied to a bank it bought.

National Bank Holdings (NBHC) in Greenwood Village, Colo., has received regulatory approval for its bank to pay a $313 million dividend to the holding company.

Recent legal settlements have compounded big banks' fears about pursuing M&A, U.S. Bancorp chief Richard Davis says.

M&T Bank Corp. (MTB) said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice are investigating financial reports by Wilmington Trust Corp. before M&T bought the firm.

Great Southern Bancorp (GSBC) in Springfield, Mo., bought a loan portfolio from an unnamed seller.

Choice Financial Holdings in Grafton, N.D., has agreed to buy Great Plains National Bank in Belfield, N.D.

The company lost money in the third quarter as it aggressively looked to build assets. At least one investor urged management to take a break from acquisitions during a quarterly call to discuss results.

Baylake Corp. (BYLK) in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., has agreed to buy a branch from Community Bank & Trust in Sheboygan, Wis.