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• Getco and Knight Capital to Merge in $1.4 Billion Deal

  

  Knight Capital Group said it will be acquired by rival electronic trading firm Getco Holdings in a cash-and-stock deal that the companies valued at $1.4 billion.

• UBS Traders' 'Humongous' Libor-Fixing Boasts

  

  The scale of Libor manipulation at Swiss bank UBS was laid bare today in documents published by U.K. authorities which showed one trader openly boasting of keeping the benchmark rate artificially low.

• Bank Stocks Offer the Best Potential in Years: Whitney

  

  Big bank stocks are poised to post double-digit gains, analyst Meredith Whitney told CNBC.

• Jefferies Sees Higher Fourth-Quarter Earnings

  

  Jefferies Group said fourth quarter earnings rose on strong performance in its fixed income unit.

• Asia's Hot Spot for Bank Jobs Gets Tough—for Expats

  

  One of the key destinations for financial jobs, Singapore is fast losing its lure as bank layoffs threaten the once robust job market in this Southeast Asian city state.

• Goldman’s Blankfein in Warning Over Cuts

  

  The financial industry should not go “overboard” in cutting costs in reaction to current market conditions, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs has warned, a day before the bank is poised to announce one of its smallest ever groups of new partners. The FT reports.

• Rebuilding The Structure of America’s Economy

  

  In theory, banks are supposed to be overflowing with tellers, ATMs and loan officers. In reality, they are increasingly focused on servicing legal claims.

• Your Bank Accounts: Are They Really Insured?

  

  Banks once offered simple checking and savings accounts. Now they offer brokerage accounts and other financial products. How do you know what's FDIC-insured?

• ANZ Looking to Sell Stakes in Asian Banks

  

  Australia and New Zealand Banking Group would consider selling some of its stakes in Asian banks if Australia does not ease stringent capital requirements, chief executive Mike Smith said on Wednesday.

• Commonwealth Bank Logs Flat Profit; Margin Pressure Seen

  

  Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the nation's biggest mortgage lender, said second-half cash profit was almost flat but still enough to post a third consecutive year of record profits, although it warned margins were under pressure as costs rise.

• Surging Thai Bank Shares to Jump a Further 30%: Nomura

  

  Thailand’s rising banking shares could jump a further 30 percent over the next 12 months as profitability soars on strong investment and corporate lending growth, according to Japanese brokerage Nomura.

• Bank Profits Hit by Very Low Interest Rates: Pro 

  

  "I think it is very encouraging that the banks are still posting profits because it means that the book values will go up, that the equity base is building up and most of the banks are not priced for them to make profits, so I think we are looking for a positive earnings round in this respect," Dirk Becker is head of banking sector research at Kepler Capital Markets, told CNBC.

• Need for 'International Response' to Libor Scandal: Official

  

  An international response is needed to the issue of the manipulation of the Libor to ensure that cartel behavior is not possible, Sharon Bowles, Liberal Democrat MEP for South East England and chair of the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, told CNBC on Friday.

• More Regulation for Banks Not Excluded  

  

  The Financial Services Authority's agreement with banks that they will pay compensation for mis-selling interest rate hedging products is not a guarantee that more regulation for banks isn't on the way, Martin Wheatley, head of financial conduct at the FSA, told CNBC.

• International Response Needed in Libor Scandal 

  

  Authorities in the U.S. and Europe need to get involved together with the UK authorities to make sure rigging of interest rates by banks cannot happen again, Sharon Bowles, Liberal Democrat MEP for South East England and chair of the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee told CNBC.

• UK Will Not Join Banking Union: Juncker 

  

  The UK is unlikely to join a banking union as the one proposed for banks in the euro zone, Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the Eurogroup group of finance ministers in the euro zone, told CNBC.

• UK Wants Criminal Sanctions for Libor Manipulation 

  

  Criminal sanctions can be applied in the U.S. for manipulating Libor but not in the UK and the UK government is looking into changing that, Mark Hoban, UK Financial Secretary, told CNBC.

• Asian Banks Better Positioned Than Western Ones: Pro

  

  The absence of an Asian name in the list of financial institutions, which saw their credit ratings cut by Moody’s on Thursday, highlights the strength of the region’s banking sector, says one analyst.

• Will Bank Deposits Continue Leaking in Europe?  

  

  "The concern of course is that we continue to see deposits leaking. We could see more deposits leaving¿ in the worst case next week," David Owen, chief European economist, Jefferies International, told CNBC.

• Europe Needs to Allow 'Freedom to Fail' 

  

  "We need a huge purge of insolvency of the banking sector, financial sector right across the European Union," Declan Ganley, Libertas chairman, told CNBC. "We need to let capitalism work once again. For the freedom to succeed in the European Union in business you have to allow and guarantee the freedom to fail."