Gleacher & Co. said that it is in merger talks with an unidentified third party. The New York-based investment firm also announced that it would exit the fixed-income business. www.gleacher.com
Chinatrust Financial Holding Co. (Taiwan: 2891) is seeking to acquire Tokyo Star Bank Ltd. for approximately $500 million, according to Bloomberg. Sellers would include Lone Star Funds, Shinsei Bank and Aozora Bank. www.chinatrustgroup.com.tw
Endeavour Capital has agreed to sell Northland Services Inc., a tug and barge carrier providing service between Seattle, Alaska and Hawaii, to freight transportation company Lynden. No financial terms were disclosed. www.lynden.com
Golden Gate Capital has completed its previously-announced sale of restaurant chain Romano’s Macaroni Grill to Ignite Restaurant Group (Nasdaq: IRG) for approximately $55 million. www.goldengatecap.com
TripAdvisor (Nasdaq: TRIP) has acquired Jetsetter, a deals site focused on luxury travel, from Gilt Groupe. No financial terms were disclosed, although press reports last fall suggested that Gilt was seeking between $30 and $50 million. Gilt has raised over $200 million in VC funding from firms like Matrix Partners, General Atlantic, NEA, Goldman Sachs, DFJ, SoftBank Capital, Pinnacle Ventures, TriplePoint Capital and GSV Capital. www.jetsetter.com
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