For running one of the industry's top-performing banks for decades, keeping it on top throughout the depths of the financial crisis, and for his refreshing candor about the state of the banking industry, American Banker has named Robert Wilmers as its Banker of the Year for 2011.

For having the confidence to stick with a traditional community banking approach while others chased the easy money, and for deftly capitalizing on competitors' woes, Columbia State's Melanie Dressel has been named by American Banker as one of its Community Bankers of the Year for 2011.

For his unwavering commitment to the company's conservative philosophy, which insulated it from the effects of the downturn and fostered growth in a time of decline, Dick Evans is one of American Banker's Community Bankers of the Year for 2011.

For his success in building Lakeland Financial into one of the industry's top performers, American Banker has named Michael Kubacki one of its Community Bankers of the Year for 2011.

Jane Thompson is not a banker. But during her nine years running Wal-Mart's financial services unit she did more than any single bank or banker in the country to develop and sell affordable financial products to low-income customers. Now Thompson, who retired from Wal-Mart in June, is encouraging traditional bankers to follow her lead. For these reasons, American Banker has named Thompson its Innovator of the Year for 2011.

American Banker also honored William Rhodes for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of his role as a go-to negotiator in times of crisis. Rhodes, in the words of Paul Volcker, had "the ability to marshal a consensus and, when needed, the will to exert authority."

With the passage of Dodd-Frank Act in 2010, the battle over regulatory reform was supposed to be over.

But a funny thing happened in 2011: Nobody told banks that. Instead, they spent the vast majority of the year attempting to reopen fights they lost during the legislative debate a year earlier. …