First PacTrust Bancorp (BANC) in Irvine, Calif., is planning to raise about $46 million through a sale of common stock.

Banks on the block are still trading at reasonable valuations, and their financials are offering more clarity than in the recent past. That's has some industry observers believing that the stars are aligning for deals to get done. For sellers, the dilemma is whether to take the modest multiples on offer or hold for more at the risk of missing out altogether.

Republic First may try to revive its 2008 deal to sell itself to Metro Bancorp. That effort died at the feet of regulators but still makes sense in the eyes of some. Other banks are said to be asking similar questions about old deals.

In New Jersey, unpaid municipal court fines and fees total $246 million. Towns throughout the state are turning to collection agencies to bring in some of that money.

OptimumBank Holdings (OPHC) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., can keep listing its shares on the Nasdaq now that a reverse stock split has brought the stock above the exchange's minimum price.

Banks will have to scrutinize their relationships with consultants, brace for the possibility of a wave of regulation of consulting practices and have backup plans in case a key advisor ever receives a punishment like the one New York state dealt Deloitte.

Sabal Financial, a buyer of distressed debt, has established Sabal Third Party Servicing, which will service commercial real estate and construction loans nationwide.

The $130 million-asset parent of Guernsey Bank said Tuesday it would pay roughly $5 million for Ohio State, which has three branches in the Columbus area.

The $804 million-asset bank will offer as many as 1.45 million shares to the public at $14.25 a share, which could produce as much as $20.7 million.

A number of recent deals in the state could spur more Virginia banks to buy or sell. However, big out-of-state buyers are unlikely to get involved because there are few large targets left.

Taylor Capital Group (TAYC) in Chicago has hired David Drury, a General Electric Capital executive, to head sales and capital markets for its equipment-finance unit.

Think you have time to wait to get in the M&A game? Think again, says Lynn Fuller of Heartland Financial in Iowa, who sees the next two years as the time to bulk up his multistate bank before prices soar.

People's Utah Bancorp in American Fork is buying Lewiston Bancorp in Lewiston, Utah.

In the first case of a state taking on bank consultants, New York regulators have banned Deloitte Financial Advisory Services from financial consulting for one year.

Intervest Bancshares bid successfully for some of its own shares in a recent Treasury Department auction.

M&T had delayed plans to buy Hudson City Bancorp because of the Federal Reserve's compliance concerns, and an order made public Tuesday details what the Buffalo, N.Y., company has to fix.

An eastern Kentucky town is reviewing whether to sell delinquent tax debts to third-party collection agencies.

Banks bulked up on collateralized loan obligations again in the first quarter for risk management and other purposes. But new deposit insurance rules are expected to deter them from buying more.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended June 15.

Bank M&A activity has been slow this year outside of an occasional spurt, and the deals have been relatively modest. Stubborn sellers, strict regulators and renewed stock market volatility are among the obstacles.