By Nupur Anand NEW YORK (Reuters) -Fifth Third CEO Tim Spence said discussions to buy regional bank Comerica started a few weeks ago when the latter company's CEO Curtis Farmer called to discuss a deal, Spence told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. Fifth Third announced an agreement on Monday to buy Comerica in an all-stock deal valued at $10.9 billion. It was the biggest U.S. bank deal of the year and would create the nation's ninth-largest lender. Fifth Third's last attempt to buy a bank was during the regional banking crisis in 2023, Spence said. It unsuccessfully bid for failed First Republic Bank, which was ultimately acquired by JPMorgan Chase. Dealmaking has gained momentum under the Trump administration, which has pledged to streamline the merger process. Regional lenders have le

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