M&A

The $2.9 billion deal is the Georgia company's first traditional whole-bank acquisition since 2006. It is also the year's second-biggest bank acquisition.

Vend Lease, which is based in Baltimore, focuses on suppliers and vendors in the hospitality industry.

The online lender hires Ronnie Momen from GreenSky as its chief lending officer; aggregators back Capital One in dispute with Plaid; bank CEO who gave mortgage to Paul Manafort uses fire-and-hire maneuver to reap windfall at taxpayer expense; and more from this week's most-read stories.

The bank announced plans to open 100 to 125 branches in fast-growing cities across the Southeast, and will close an equal number in the Midwest. In a way, it's finishing a plan it cooked up nearly two decades ago.

While the regulatory environment is more accommodating for big deals, many regionals still have their reasons for staying on the sidelines.