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The article discusses small bank sales in the U.S. as of June 18, 2012. According to the article, more than 90 small bank sales had been announced as of mid-2012, and that 2012 could overtake 2007 for the largest amount of small bank sales in U.S. history. The article discusses the impact of government regulations and bank mergers on the sales trend. The article presents comments from Medina, Ohio, bank Western Reserve Bank chief executive Edward McKeon.

The article reports that privately-held investment company Sandler O'Neill & Partners LP will sell a 40% share of itself to private-equity firms Carlyle Group and Kelso & Co. for what is believed to be around $250 million. Sandler specializes in advising small financial firms, and has raised some $8.5 billion from the 26 share offerings it has overseen in 2010.

The article reports that financial-services firm M & T Bank Corp. will buy rival Wilmington Trust Corp. for $351 million in stock, a price that reflects a 46% discount from where Wilmington's share's were valued on the previous trading day. Wilmington has suffered through several quarters of poor results, and some company executives feared the bank's affluent customers might begin withdrawing funds.

The article discusses the potential for significant numbers of bank mergers in the U.S. Some interpret First Niagara Financial Group Inc.'s $1.5 billion acquisition of NewAlliance Bancshares Inc. as a sign that more mergers could be forthcoming once uncertainty about the economy and banks' inventories of bad loans are resolved. Investment-banking executive John Duffy thinks industry consolidation could shrink the number of banks in the U.S. by over 30% during the next ten years.

The article discusses the challenge to banks in the U.S. of integrating their back-office operations with those of institutions they have acquired. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Wells Fargo & Co., and PNC Financial Services Group Inc. will collectively spend hundreds of millions of dollars on integration efforts.

The article reports on the statement of Visa Inc. that it will acquire its European counterpart Visa Europe Ltd. for as much as 21.2 billion-euro ($23.4 billion) in cash and stock, a deal that would bring the payment network's global operations.

The article reports on the plan of financial services company Visa Inc. to acquire its European counterpart Visa Europe Ltd. in a deal that would unite the global operations of Visa.

The article discusses options available to Citigroup Inc. after its bid to purchase most of Wachovia Corp. for nearly $2 billion was surpassed by Wells Fargo & Co.'s $15.4 billion offer to purchase the entire firm. Citigroup could sue Wells Fargo, alleging it broke an exclusivity agreement, or it could increase its bid.

The article discusses J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.'s acquisition of Washington Mutual Inc. Simultaneously, J.P. Morgan raised $10 billion in capital by selling common stock, and announced it would write down $31 billion of Washington Mutual's loan portfolio. The acquisition substantially increases J.P. Morgan's exposure to consumer banking.

The article reports that the U.S. government seized Washington Mutual Inc. and arranged the sale of most of its operations to J.P Morgan Chase & Co. in what represents the largest bank failure in U.S. history. Bank deposits in Washington Mutual are safe, although the firm's shareholders are likely wiped out.

The article focuses on how the financial services company J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is managing its acquisition of Bear Stearns. The transaction was completed in just two days in March, 2008, leaving a host of unresolved issues. Unable to perform due diligence before the deal, J.P. Morgan has hundreds of employees working on uniting the functions of the two companies.

The article reports that two Michigan pension trusts for public employees in Detroit filed suit in Delaware chancery court asking for an injunction blocking the proposed acquisition of the financial services firm Bear Stearns by J.P. Morgan Chase. The suits indicate the legal and managerial problems which still face the merger.

The article reports that the financial services firm J.P. Morgan Chase increased its takeover bid for Bear Stearns from $2 to $10 a share. J.P. Morgan Chief Executive Officer James Dimon admitted he had misjudged stockholder resistance to the original offer. The deal allows J.P. Morgan to purchase a 40 percent share of Bear Stearns without prior stockholder approval.

The article examines the events leading up to the March 16, 2008 sale of the financial services firm Bear Stearns to J.P. Morgan Chase for $236 million. A March 14, 2008 announcement that J.P. Morgan and the U.S. Federal Reserve Board had extended the company a 28 day line of credit was seen as insufficient to prevent Bear Stearns from bankruptcy. The deal was forced on both parties by the board, which assumed $30 billion worth of Bear Stearn's most questionable assets.

The article reports that the financial services firm J.P. Morgan Chase has agreed to purchase the troubled firm of Bear Stearns at the extraordinarily low price of $2 a share, or about $236 million. The deal was seen as Bear Stearns' only alternative to bankruptcy. It was facilitated by a U.S. Federal Reserve Board agreement to provide $30 billion in financing for Bear Stearns illiquid assets such as mortgage-backed securities.

The article focuses on an increase in the acquisition of foreign companies which is being accomplished by Canadian companies in 2007 as a result of an increase in the value of the Canadian dollar, which is known in Canada as the loonie. A discussion of several acquisitions which have been accomplished across the globe and in the U.S, including one by Toronto-Dominion Bank bought Commerce Bancorp Inc. in the U.S., is presented.

The article focuses on an August 2007 increase in the number of U.S. financial traders, including Sowood Capital Management, specializing in buying shares of companies that are expected to be taken over, called merger arbitragers, that are selling their holdings in certain companies because of concerns about pending mergers.

The article reports on the impact a widening of spreads, which represent the difference between a seller's stock price and at the price that a buyer has agreed to pay, could have on mergers, and in particular, mergers in which the buyers are private equity firms that are being financed in debt markets or are funded by short term bank loans. Several mergers which could be effected by the spreads, including one between SLM Corp. and J. C. Flowers & Co., are discussed.

The article reports on the business acquisitions of the U.S.-based Bank of America. The author focuses on the bank's impending acquisition of ABN Holding NV's LaSalle Bank in Chicago, Illinois in 2007. Should the acquisition go through, Bank of America will compete with J.P. Morgan Chase & Company, also of Chicago. Bank of America Chairman Kenneth D. Lewis is mentioned.

The article reports that regional banks are being hurt by the current economic outlook. An inverted yield curve that is cutting into bank profits and fears about a decrease in credit quality are depressing regional bank stocks and performance. Some may end up merging with larger companies, like North Fork Bancorp did recently with Capital One. That merger increased North Fork's stock prices by 15%.

Looks at how JPMorgan Chase & Co. has been talking with dozens of United States banks in an effort to gauge their interest in potential acquisitions. Author's view that there isn't any sign that transaction is imminent; Review of the work of JPMorgan executive James Dimon; Comments from Dimon regarding the likelihood of a large transaction.

Focuses on Bank of America Corp. purchase MBNA Corp. for thirty-five billion dollars. Author's view that by reaching a deal to buy MBNA, America's third-biggest issuer of general-purpose credit cards, Bank of American has moved to cement its position as a global banking powerhouse; Analysis of the deal; Effect of the purchase on the value of Bank of America stock; Review of the career of Bank of American Chairman and Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis.

Reports that some of J. P. Morgan Chase & Chase's biggest problems are coming from its trading operations. The company's continued trading woes after its multi-billion dollar acquisition of Bank One Corporation; How Wall Street analysts have lowered earnings forecasts for the nation's third-largest bank; Concerns of investors and analysts; Disclosure of problems at an investors' conference by James Dimon, president and chief operating officer; Why the trading business has been difficult in recent months; Financial details; How the bank is trying to reduce earnings volatility; Outlook.

Argues that the independent credit-card companies in the United States may not be independent much longer. View that a slowdown in the growth rate of the credit card business is putting new pressure on card issuers; Suggestion that a wave of consolidation within the credit card industry may spell the end of a business model that has been key to the industry's evolution; Analysis of "mono-line" credit card companies, or companies that do not have significant banking operations, such as MBNA Corp., Capital One Financial Corp., and Providian Financial Corp.

Analyzes Boise Cascade Corp.'s proposed acquisition of OfficeMax Inc. Value of the cash-and-stock deal, which is largely been accepted by Boise shareholders who see Boise selling some of its other businesses after the purchase; Percentage increase in Boise shares since the deal was announced in July, indicating that it performing better than all others in the paper-products industry; Comments from Mark Connolly, a Credit Suisse First Boston analyst, regarding the risks involved in integrating the two companies and the competition in the office-retailing industry; Percentage of Boise's annual sales that come from its business-to-business subsidiary, which distributes office paper, furniture and other products, indicating the company is moving away from it forestry roots to a paper retailer; Symbolism behind dropping the name "Cascade" from some references to the business.

Reports that St. Paul Cos. and Travelers Property Casualty Corp. have agreed to merge, creating one of the largest property-casualty insurers in the U.S. Value of the merger, which is an all-stock deal; Details of the agreement, which will create a new company doing business as St. Paul Travelers Cos.; View of Wall Street analysts that this deal could presage a wave of consolidation in the industry; Brief overview of the industry, indicating that insurance executives are concerned about their pricing power.

Reports that Travelers Property Casualty Corp. is entering merger discussions with St. Paul Cos. Value of the potential deal, which will be the first significant corporate transaction for Travelers since it was spun out of Citigroup Inc.; Statistics related to the market value of St. Paul; History of St. Paul Cos., one of the oldest insurers in the U.S.; Specialties of St. Paul, which markets insurance to the commercial market.

Examines the market for mergers-and-acquisitions, which is improving after two sluggish years. Economic indicators for the third-quarter, suggesting the economic conditions in the United States are improving; Value of merger-and-acquisition deals in October 2003, indicating companies are again looking to expand their businesses again; Recount of the biggest deals; Economic history of deals in the 1990s; Comments from David Baron, an investment banker at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., regarding the informal education he received as the result of two sluggish years; Brief biography of Baron.

Assesses the market for mergers-and-acquisitions after the announced deal involving Bank of America Corp. and FleetBoston Financial Corp. Statistics related to mergers-and-acquisitions in October 2003, the largest month since July 2001, according to Thomson Financial; Details of several deals which occurred on Oct. 27, 2003; Economic conditions in the United States considered a deal-making environment; Statistics related to the share value of Bank of America, suggesting investors reacted to the high purchase price. INSET: A Rally in Handshakes.

Reports that Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. is in advanced discussions to purchase investment manager Neuberger Berman Inc. Value of the proposed sale, which is seen as a way for Lehman to propel itself beyond its traditional trading and underwriting of bond, setting it up to compete more aggressively with rivals such as Merrill Lynch & Co. and Morgan Stanley; Comments from Richard Fuld, chief executive officer of Lehman, who has been criticized for relying to much on the bond market and seeks to diversify its revenue stream; View that Lehman is reversing its strategy of distancing itself from individual investors.

Analyzes the takeover bid of PeopleSoft Inc. by Oracle Corp. Amount of takeover bid which is seen as breaking longstanding traditions of deal-making including offers that carry a hefty premium to the target stock's price and approach the target stock privately with a friendly bid; Comments attributed to PeopleSoft chief executive officer (CEO) Craig Conway with regard to Oracle's intentions; Comments from Oracle CEO Larry Ellison; Financial performance of PeopleSoft shares suggesting investors feel the company is in play and that Oracle will eventually sweeten the offer.

This section offers international financial services industry news briefs as of November 25, 2014 including MasterCard Inc.'s plan to launch a debit card service in Canada in 2015, reinsurance company RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.'s agreement to buy Platinum Underwriters Holdings Ltd., and U.S. credit reporting companies' alliances with Malaysian firms to develop credit scores.

The article reports that the bank StellarOne Corp. will be acquired by the bank Union First Market Bankshares Corp. in 2013.

The article reports that J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is close to purchasing Gávea Investimentos as of October 27, 2010.

The article reports on the acquisition of Revolution Money, an alternative-payments company which has financial backing from AOL founder Steve Case, by American Express Co. An Internet-based system which cuts costs for merchants who pay billions of dollars in fees for credit card transactions was developed by Revolution Money. According to the article, the purchase of Revolution Money by American Express, comes at a time when credit card companies are trying to find new forms of payment without hurting their own plastic-based businesses.

The article reports on the acquisition activities of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. during the credit crisis in the U.S. in 2008. In December, the company has agreed to acquire Canadian energy operations and global agricultural business of Swiss bank UBS AG as it attempts to regain its financial status following mortgage-related losses. Also, J. P. Morgan purchased Bear Stearns Cos. and the banking assets of Washington Mutual Inc. in March and September, respectively.

The article reports that Banco Santander SA is in negotiations to purchase Sovereign Bancorp Inc. Banco Santander owns a 24.9% stake in Sovereign, and is expected to pay around $3.81 for the remainder. Banco Santander views the U.S. banking market as presenting more opportunity than banking in Western Europe.

The article reports on the acquisition of Sovereign Bancorp Inc. by Banco Santander SA for $1.9 billion in stock. Sovereign has been affected by bad loans and fallen securities due to the housing-price collapse. Most of its operations are located in mid-Atlantic and northeastern U.S. with $79 billion in assets and 750 branches. The Spanish bank already has a 24% interest in Sovereign as it purchased 90 million shares in 2005 for $27.

The article reports that Washington Mutual Inc. has approached some private-equity firms to see if these firms are interested in a potential takeover of Washington Mutual. Two companies that are considering a possible transaction are the Carlyle Group LLC and the Blackstone Group LP, which would team up with Gerald J. Ford. The author cites the apprehensions of the other buyers of the bank like the J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc., and Wells Fargo & Co.

The article reports on the decision of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. to include some senior managers from Bear Stearns Co. into the upper ranks of the bank, representing the efforts to integrate the two companies following their merger. Jeff Mayer was appointed vice chairman of the investment bank of J.P. Morgan. Douglas Braunstein will supervise the equity and debt capital-markets activities of the firm. Jeff Urwin will supervise the company's investment bankers who concentrate on particular industries and clients on a daily basis.

The article reports on the negotiation of Citigroup Inc. with Automated Trading Desk, an electronic trading firm, for a proposed acquisition. The proposal is one of the series of acquisitions by Citigroup. The purchase is part of the company's effort to increase its market share in trading U.S. stocks.

The article reports on the decision of Yardville National Bancorp to be acquired by PNC Financial Services Group Inc. for $403 million in cash and stock. Yardville has $3 billion in assets compared with PNC, which owns $123 billion in assets. The deal was valued at $35 per share representing a takeunder because the acquisition price presented a discount to the target trading price.

reports that Capital One Financial Corp. has agreed to buy North Fork Bancorp in the U.S. in March 2006.

Reports on the move of J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. to buy the credit-card operations of Kohl's Corp.

Announces that CyberSource Corp. has signed a letter of intent to acquire the assets of CardSystems Solutions Inc., the credit-card processing company that was hit by a massive security breach in the early part of 2005.

Reports on the plans of Putnam Investments of Boston to vote against the acquisition of credit-card issuer Providian Financial Corp. by Washington Mutual Inc.

Reports on the acquisition of Pulse EFT Association by Discover Financial Services.

Mentions the competition between Visa and MasterCard to become the dominant brand for the combined bank resulting from the $58 billion acquisition of Bank One Corp. by J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Likelihood that Visa USA Inc. and MasterCard International Inc. will include incentives about fees and loyalty programs; Aims of J.P. Morgan to come to a decision and settle the brand issue by the end of the third quarter; Link between J.P. Morgan's 36 million credit cards to MasterCard; Efforts of Visa and MasterCard to recover from a series of assaults from merchants and banks which have challenged their domination over the market for credit cards and debit cards.

Reports that J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. has been speedily integrating operations since it acquired Bank One Corp. earlier this year, but there are no plans to integrate the banks' rival operations that specialize in corporate buyouts. Private equity businesses which are operating independently from separate buildings in New York City; J.P. Morgan, which has taken steps to avert potential conflict between the groups, which have different investment and management styles; Expected break out of J.P. Morgan's Bank One unit as an independent entity when the company spends the $700 million that J.P. Morgan has committed to the $2 billion fund.