Assisted Merger

Companies go out of business. It's part of the capitalist life cycle. If a business can't compete for whatever reason, it slips into oblivion, making room for other firms to pop up. (Cue: "Circle of Life" from the Lion King.)
But sometimes these failures come with complications. This is especially true for banks. Because banks sit at the center of the flow of capital, and because people and other businesses rely on banks to keep their money safe and warm, a bank failure can cause a dramatic ripple effect.
So there's a sizable regulatory structure in place to avoid any negative repercussions from bank failures. One of the devices used by regulators to sidestep the fall out of a bank going out of business is an assisted merger.
Basically, in an assisted merger, regulators help a failing bank find another bank to merge with. In the U.S., these actions are spearheaded by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, the same people who guarantee bank deposits. Because the FDIC is on the hook for any deposit claims if a bank fails, Congress gave the organization the ability to avoid failures through an assisted merger process. If a dangerous situation comes up at an FDIC member bank, the regulator can help facilitate a transaction to move assets to a more stable institution.