Dec 13 (Reuters) - U.S. lender Huntington Bancshares Inc was nearing a deal to merge with TCF Financial Corp , the Wall Street Journal reported https://www.wsj.com/articles/huntington-bancshares-near-all-stock-purchase-of-tcf-financial-11607909111?mod=latest_headlines on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The companies were in talks for an all-stock deal that could be announced on Monday, assuming the discussions do not fall apart, the report said.

It did not disclose any other deal terms, including its value.

Both Huntington and TCF did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Softer financial regulations and lower corporate taxes under the Trump administration have emboldened regional U.S. lenders to pursue growth through dealmaking as they compete with bigger players such as JPMorgan Chase & Co and Wells Fargo & Co .

Last month, Spain's BBVA sold its U.S. business to PNC Financial Services Group Inc for $11.6 billion in cash in one of the biggest global bank deals this year.

Huntington Bancshares has a market value of $13.15 billion, while TCF Financial's market capitalization is $5.3 billion, according to Refinitiv data.

(Reporting by Derek Francis and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)