Alan Kline

First Horizon National Corp. reported a sharp increase in its third-quarter profit as an increase in average loans, lower overhead and a decrease in income tax payments helped to offset a 9% decline in total revenue.

Sound growth plans, not quirks of geography, define this year’s class of community bank all-stars.

Regional banks did a much better job of expanding revenue than their megabank counterparts in the third quarter, but they had to spend more to do so and risk angering investors in a tight-margin environment.

Profits at First Republic Bank fell slightly in the third quarter as increased salary and benefits costs and a decline in noninterest income could not offset strong growth in loans, deposits and wealth management assets.

Despite years of diversity initiatives, senior management teams remain overwhelmingly male. Now a growing number of women are coming around to the idea that real change starts in the boardroom.

With Beth Mooney in charge, KeyCorp has emerged as one of the industry's top regional banking companies while becoming a model for workplace diversity.

Many of the bank's policies bubbled up through meetings of the Employee Excellence Council, a group of roughly 50 volunteers — from tellers to senior vice presidents — that offers input on benefits, working conditions and anything else that comes to mind.

Most banks encourage employees to be active with local charities, but the parent of First Tennessee Bank takes its support to a higher level by awarding cash grants to nonprofits at which its employees are board members.

The thriving Colorado institution keeps its employees happy — and minimizes turnover — by offering one of the industry's most generous retirement packages.

Rob Brough, the head of marketing at Zions, says the bank's Value Star program — launched more than a decade ago to recognize employees for putting in extra effort — encourages staff to pull for one another.