American Banker Magazine

25From Donald Trump to Gunjan Kedia, Jerome Powell to Jamie Dimon, here are the politicians, bankers, regulators, tech execs, lobbyists and lawyers who will impact the industry this year (plus Taylor Swift).

Find out who lands where in the rankings for banking, watch and finance, and see the categories for our standouts, a special recognition meant to spotlight roles with heightened visibility and the exemplary female leaders who are rethinking the way forward at a critical time.

Here’s a non-alarmist guide to what banks are facing as prophecies of commercial real estate losses mount.

The number of small banks has plummeted since the financial crisis. Experts say that community banks may be down, but they are not out.

In recent years, the wealth gulf between white and Black families has only grown. But there is hope that advances in fintech, such as wider adoption of AI, can help.

A California woman spent more than a decade obtaining reparations for Nazi plundering of her family’s belongings. The money disappeared when identity thieves targeted her, highlighting shortcomings in bank-fraud protections.

Citigroup has long been criticized as overly complex and underperforming. Will CEO Jane Fraser succeed where her predecessors failed in pushing through a corporate transformation?

Last spring, Western Alliance CEO Ken Vecchione stared down every banker’s worst fear: the threat of a deposit run. Here’s an in-depth look at the company’s playbook.

Banks need to reckon with the explosive rise of legal online wagering and the addicts left in its wake

Under CEO Bill Demchak, PNC navigated this year’s banking crisis better than many of its peers

See our latest rankings of the power brokers in banking as well as general finance, the rising stars to watch and profiles of the five top teams in banking.

Key industry players are working to limit the impact that plastic payment cards have on the environment — and our health.

Last year’s racially motivated mass shooting in a Black community in Buffalo, New York, has sparked discussions about whether banks need to right some past wrongs — including redlining — that left such neighborhoods segregated and impoverished.

It's difficult to be truly original in today's digital free-for-all. American Banker honors a group of executives who broke new ground in technology over the past year.

After two large regionals failed in March, regulators, politicians, bank executives and others are scrambling to deal with the fallout. Here are our 10 predictions for what’s next.

Nearly two years after its last loan, the Paycheck Protection Program is still making headlines — for all the wrong reasons, unfortunately. But for the bankers and credit union lenders who participated, PPP remains a high point of their careers.

Many bankers complain it’s unfair that credit unions are buying out banks in increasing numbers. Others are asking if the pairings can work.

Wells Fargo’s asset cap has been in place for fi ve years, and there’s no end in sight. Where does the bank — and the Fed — go from here?

Brown has helped the online bank weather the pandemic. His next challenge: a looming economic downturn

Find out who lands where in the rankings for banking, watch and finance, and see the categories for our standouts, a special recognition meant to spotlight roles with heightened visibility and the exemplary female leaders who are rethinking the way forward at a critical time.

The number of banks has fallen by roughly two-thirds since the 1980s, and there is almost unanimous consensus that more consolidation is inevitable.

Millions of Americans have trouble accessing low-cost credit because they have thin or problematic repayment histories. Recent innovations could change that.

Allan Rayson’s smart choices ABOUT Encore Bank’s technology have helped the institution succeed with just a handful of branches in more than a dozen markets.

Is the push toward decentralized Finance, or DeFi, the Future or just Hype?

Bank of America became the poster child for regulatory and reputational risks associated with providing government benefits on prepaid cards.

Banks of all sizes are looking to wealth management as a source of long-term growth. But with so many vying for the same customers, which ones will succeed?

Fewer transactions are being done with cash today than ever before, but there are risks and challenges to phasing out paper currency entirely.

As the coronavirus pandemic begins to wane, new pressures are mounting on banks: how to attract and retain talented employees, many of whom are insisting on work-life balance and a sense of purpose from their careers. From flexible work-from-home policies to renewed outreach and benefits, these banks are finding novel ways to keep their employees happy and engaged.

Find out who lands where in the rankings for banking, watch and finance, and see the categories for our standouts, a special recognition meant to spotlight roles with heightened visibility and the exemplary female leaders who are rethinking the way forward at a critical time.

Institutional independence is a big part of what makes the Fed work. But the advent of quantitative easing and a blurring of the lines between monetary and fiscal policy might make that independence harder to maintain.

Indigenous Americans are the country’s most underbanked demographic, particularly those living on reservations. But tribal communities are finding ways to get their citizens access to capital without banks.

The four biggest banks have to keep growing. But it’s not that simple.

In a year that forced us all to reassess what’s important, roles that banks often take for granted — at branches and call centers, in human resources and marketing — stood out.

Artificial intelligence is taking over banking. But what are its limitations — and is the industry prepared for a future without those limitations?

The national debt is enormous. But is it a problem?

Fostering small businesses and expanding homeownership are the best tools banks and policymakers have to build wealth in America, particularly in communities of color. It’s time to start doing both.

Here are the milestones and missteps, the wonderful and weird, the best and worst, during a year that will be a powerful force in shaping the future of the industry

Banks are making some headway in efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace, but the industry’s reputation for being predominantly white and male is getting in the way.

In a year of upheaval for the industry — and the country — these executives are rising to the moment and bringing others along with them

Never let a good crisis go to waste — the pandemic is giving banks the opportunity to create goodwill with consumers and our annual survey of bank reputations offers some insight on how to keep the positive momentum going

Meet the change-makers raising up the industry for a new generation

A global pandemic. Economic free fall. Hundreds of billions of dollars in government relief funneled through banks. A reckoning over racism and inequality. We will not be the same after this — and neither will banking.

Can a small community development financial institution recast itself as a nimble digital innovator? Patrick Sells is sure it can, and he hopes Quontic Bank inspires others to do the same.

How bankers confronting the coronavirus crisis are adapting lessons from past disasters, including wildfires, earthquakes, and hurricanes

René Jones is putting his own spin on M&T’s longtime strategy of slow and steady. “We’re essentially trying to become a more modern version of ourselves,” Jones says.

The second-largest bank in Minnesota is fighting to stay independent — literally. It is locked in a bitter legal battle to block one of the state’s biggest charitable givers from selling the shares it has owned for 75 years.

An Arizona town 40 miles from the nearest bank has found creative ways to adapt. The “banking desert” of Duncan (population 789) offers a glimpse into the future for more of rural America.

Emerging technology, changing consumer behavior, demographic shifts — an array of forces will reshape the economy and the industry in the years ahead. Those forces are largely outside the control of banks.

It wasn’t long ago that the Providence, R.I., company was struggling to remain relevant. Thanks to Van Saun and his management team — and a well-timed spinoff from Royal Bank of Scotland — Citizens is on the rise.

Despite the trade war, U.S. banks say they are flourishing in China. Players like SVB Financial are just as enthusiastic as giants like Citi about the growth potential.

From wrestling with the potential impact of Brexit to charting a course for responsible artificial intelligence, the Most Powerful Women in Banking have faced many challenges during the past year. See who earned the top spots in our ranking.

Many of the Best Banks to Work For are improving their wellness programs to help employees stay healthy. The banks expect to benefit by keeping morale high, staying competitive in recruiting and possibly lowering health care expenses. But do these programs pay off?

Banks submit millions of Bank Secrecy Act filings each year, yet only a fraction are valuable to law enforcement. Inside the effort to change that.

Citi is improving its image with customers. Most other banks are headed in the opposite direction. What’s going on?

Ankit Bhatt is pursuing his love of science in an entirely different way than he expected, and U.S. Bank’s mobile offerings are better for it

Welcome To Our Inaugural Next List

Dozens of hopefuls are lining up for new bank charters. Some metro areas like D.C. have as many as four, including Shaza Andersen’s Trustar Bank and Mindi McClure’s VisionBank

Thanks to tech companies like Facebook, a bipartisan push for a new digital privacy law is gaining momentum in Washington. Banks aren’t at the center of this fight, but they won’t be able to avoid it either. The stakes are huge.

A growing number of financial institutions are concluding they can no longer afford to sit out the trend

Get some fresh perspective on the challenges and opportunities that'll impact banking in the coming year and beyond

Harris Simmons, Zions Bancorp.

With crop prices and profits already down, farmers in the Midwest need a trade war with China as much as they need another Dust Bowl. The nation’s roughly 1,800 ag lenders share their anxiety, especially since 2019 looms as a make-or-break year for so many customers.

You can’t buy it, you can’t get a degree in it, but success for women in banking demands an outrageous amount of grit.

What the “Best Banks” do to create an emotional bond with employees

Bankers savoring recent policy victories should not overlook the new uncertainty today's extreme partisanship creates.

It's Time for Damage Control

There is no definitive job description for what Tim Spence does. But his responsibility is to help Fifth Third transform itself for a digital era

There is no disputing that China is ahead of the rest of the world in mobile payments. What insight does it offer U.S. Bankers?

Doubling in size to become a top 10 retail bank in the United States is the task ahead for Steve Cummings, its first American CEO

Banks are capitalizing on changing consumer habits - and satisfying a pressing need to diversify their loan portfolios - with a spate of instant point-of-sale loans for everything from iPhones to home improvements

How do you reduce friction in the banking experience, increase wallet share and improve loyalty? Companies like Ally, USAA and Bank of the West unpack the customer journey to find the answers.

How new developments on many fronts are going to affect the banking business in the coming year and beyond — and what bankers can do to prepare.

as elected officials and the public hold boards responsible for misdeeds that occur on their watch.

Beth Mooney, KeyCorp

Executing On A Vision

The 75 banks that earned a spot on our fifth annual ranking

American Samoa is trying something that hasn't been done in nearly a century.

Under Steven Bradshaw, BOK Financial is engaging employees as never before by investing heavily in training and development. Don't think customers haven't noticed.

Digital Banker Of The Year

How banks and fintech companies are trying to help consumers cope with the challenge of income volatility

Banks with $10 billion to $50 billion of assets - subject to tougher regulations than smaller competitors without the scale larger ones have to absorb the expense - are pursuing creative strategies to improve profitability

Will new U.S. Bancorp chief's playbook deliver on offense?

Small-business Lending: New Strategies at Community Banks

In the aftermath of a most eventful year

Community Bankers of the Year

Profiles in Courage

How Millennials Are Changing the Workplace

Is Size an Advantage? Not Always, Our Ranking of Regional Banks Shows

Annual Survey of Bank Reputations

The Aussie Behind the App

Our Annual Ranking of the Top 200 Community Banks

How BBVA Is Tackling Digital Identity

From Toxic Assets to Digital Currency: Barry Silbert's Bold Bet

Only Way to Avoid Activists Is to Perform Well, Says PL Capital's Lashley

10 Big Ideas for Banking in 2016

Banks Take on Marketplace Lenders