Call to Action: Is the financial services industry content with mostly talk when it comes to addressing the gender gap? Oliver Wyman's "Women in Financial Services 2016" study shows almost no progress over the past three years in increasing the ratio of female chief executive officers, among other distressing stats. Efforts to improve networking and leadership programs and offer flexible work options have been "insufficient in retaining and advancing women over the long term," the study says, citing unconscious bias and inequality on promotions and pay as the big hurdles that need to be overcome. Bankers like HSBC's Katia Bouazza and Centric Bank's Patti Husic said the findings are a call to action and their advice includes pushing for more women on bank boards. "When an organization has more women on the board, the diversity will trickle down faster," said Bouazza, head of capital financing for Latin America at HSBC.
A New Sheriff in Town: The New York Senate has approved Maria Vullo as the next superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services, a year after her aggressive, headline-grabbing predecessor Benjamin Lawsky left the post. In response to questions about whether she could be a "sheriff" like him and fill his boats, she told a committee of state senators: "I don't wear boots. I am going to be Maria Vullo." She also said, "Ben did a tremendous job in this post, but I'm not stepping into anybody's shoes. What I do will depend on the issues presented to me. I want DFS to be important. I want this agency to be a player." As you may recall, observers have been speculating that she'll take a more conciliatory approach on enforcement matters than Lawsky.
Take Two: Just 8% of CEOs in financial services are women, according to the Oliver Wyman study. But how women many have had that job multiple times? Mary Lynn Lenz is one, and she's part of this slideshow titled "Bank CEOs' Second Acts." Lenz has lead banks in Arizona, California and Massachusetts, and her latest job has been a turnaround effort at TFB Bancorp in Yuma, Ariz., where 2015 earnings improved 45%, to $3.1 million, from a year earlier.
Fintechs and FICO: Online small-business lender Kabbage is among the fintech companies that forgo FICO scores entirely. Its cofounder and chief operating officer, Kathryn Petralia, said it uses sales and shipping data from UPS, Amazon, eBay and other online marketplaces to analyze potential borrowers' revenue streams. To Kabbage, personal credit scores are irrelevant. But on the question of whether FICO will continue to be relevant in banking, Rebecca Kaden, a partner at the Seattle venture capital firm Maveron, argues it will. Platform lenders collect tons of data on potential borrowers, but Kaden questions how much of it is meaningful. "What we don't know yet, and what has to be developed over time, is: How do you correlate what actually does matter and develop that core capability in the company?" Kaden said.
Remembering Her Dayton Days: KeyCorp Chairman and CEO Beth Mooney says that the four years she spent in Dayton, Ohio, early in her career shaped "my view of how you organize a bank." But this interview, conducted when she was in the city to visit with Key employees and local business leaders, is more about Dayton than banking. "One of the abiding memories of Dayton I have is what a genuinely warm and welcoming community it was, and how engaged civically its business community is," said Mooney, who is one of our Most Powerful Women in Banking. Being civic minded is something she tries to embrace in her current role at Key, she added.
Role Call
U.S. Bancorp said Kathy Rogers is stepping down as chief financial officer due to "family circumstances," but will stay with the company and continue to oversee the stress-testing process. Terry Dolan, vice chairman of wealth management and securities services, will succeed Rogers in the CFO role Aug. 1.
Beyond Banking
The Pursuit of Balance: Work-life balance can be a challenge for men as well as women. Here 25 male CEOs talk about how they rose to the top of their companies while maintaining a family life (or in some cases not). One executive blocks off time with his daughter on a public calendar so employees understand it's important to have a life outside of the office.
Actions Speak Louder than Words: More than two dozen major companies signed a pledge to conduct an annual gender pay analysis to eliminate inequitable compensation, ahead of the White House's inaugural United State of Women Summit, hosted by Michelle Obama and Oprah. "The pledge is to actually take action," said Tina Tchen, executive director for the White House's Council on Women and Girls. The 28 companies — which include Amazon, PepsiCo and Dow Chemical — agreed to embed equal-pay efforts and review hiring and promotion processes. The summit, which kicked off Tuesday, attracted thousands to the White House for a discussion on progress in women's equality.
And lastly … an ode to pants.
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