AmericanWest Bank in Spokane, Wash., has promoted an insider to oversee its expansion into Oregon and northern California.

CrossFirst Holdings in Leawood, Kan., has wrapped up a $22 million private placement.

Goldman Sachs (GS) has made a deal with a union-supported investment group to let Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein remain chairman of the board, Reuters reported Wednesday.

Stieven, who has followed banks 30 years, managed a portfolio teeming with bank buyers. Still, he cautions against deals that only build scale.

Big banks and their CEOs are facing lots of questions at their upcoming shareholder meetings, but the stakes might be higher for community and regional banks.

Bank of Montreal, Canada's fourth-biggest lender, intends to add 1 million customers annually, Chief Executive Officer William Downe said.

"Financial literacy" typically means educating the unbanked. For Wells Fargo's David Carroll, it means turning the already-banked into prospective wealth-management clients.

U.S. Senate Democrats introduced legislation Tuesday to cap annual interest rates for all consumer credit transactions.

Debt buyer Encore Capital Group announced Wednesday that its board of directors has elected Ken Vecchione, 58, to succeed Brandon Black as chief executive officer.

First Farmers Financial in Converse, Ind., has agreed to buy most of Bank of Indiana.

A securities law firm has filed a class-action suit to halt Renasant's acquisition of First M&F Corp.

Wells Fargo's (WFC) home-loan unit has sold a portfolio of reverse-mortgage servicing rights to Walter Investment Management (WAC).

Sterling Bancorp; Provident New York Bancorp

There were more deals announced in the Midwest than in any other U.S. region last year.

Uwharrie Capital Corp. (UWHR) in Albemarle, N.C., has repaid more than three-fourths of the money it took through the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Alliance Data Systems Corp. announced Tuesday that its Retail Services business has signed a long-term agreement to offer private-label credit card services for luxury retailer Barneys New York.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended April 6.

Union Bank in San Francisco has forged a deal that will give the company a further foothold on the East Coast.

The company announced two deals in the first quarter, ending a three-year drought after raising millions to buy banks.

Nearly a quarter of Investors Bancorp's branches will be near the Philadelphia suburbs once it completes its acquisitions of Gateway Community and Roma Financial.