Chris Cumming

Sandy Pierce is a lifelong Detroit resident who has the chance to help her hometown in a way that few bankers ever get. The FirstMerit vice chairman leads the board overseeing the distressed city's turnaround plan.

Cathy Bessant says a cancer diagnosis a few years ago got her thinking about the legacy she hopes to create. So she accelerated her longtime plan to establish a scholarship for women in rural areas of Michigan, women with backgrounds just like hers. Bank of America’s global technology and operations executive aims to pay forward the help she received.

Through her work with NATO, Lisa Pollina came to appreciate the skills and dedication of the men and women in the U.S. military. As the vice chairman of RBC Capital Markets, she is spearheading a program, called the RBC Veterans Initiative, to help transition them into jobs in the financial services industry.

As M&T Bank's chief information officer, Michele Trolli is leading an overhaul of its anti-money laundering systems. She also has a sideline in finding homes for orphaned polar bears.

Albina Community Bancorp in Portland, Ore., has filed for bankruptcy.

In marketing, deciding on a strategy is the easy part. The challenge involves figuring out if it's working. PNC Financial, Regions and other companies at a recent conference discussed how to know if a bank getting a good return on its marketing dollars.

Albina Community Bancorp is one of few lenders to recapitalize and sell its bank despite an overhang of trust-preferred debt at the parent company. Still, an investor is threatening to force involuntary bankruptcy — a sign of just how tough it is for banks to escape the trust-preferred trap.

CertusBank in Greenville, S.C., has agreed to sell its mortgage and wealth businesses as it tries to move past its history of high expenses and heavy losses.

If anybody deserves to tell a "Gee, my arms are tired" joke, it's Bob Barnes of Mainstreet Community Bank of Florida, who spent the month of August doing push-ups to raise money for a community group that provides food and shelter for people in need.

Banc of California has announced extensive community reinvestment goals as part of its planned purchase of 20 Banco Popular branches in Southern California. The agreement, which appeased a community group that had opposed the sale, shows how much power such organizations wield when it comes to M&A.

A judge has ruled that the involuntary bankruptcy of FMB Bancshares in Lakeland, Ga., may proceed, a decision that could embolden more trust-preferred creditors to pursue a similar strategy.

Leaders of large community banks in the Southeast are keen on acquisitions, though their level of interest varies widely. Some, like Home BancShares in Arkansas, are eager to line up the next big deal. Others, including Bank of the Ozarks, seem content to steal lenders and open offices after several years of acquisitions.

The company is opening high-tech loan production offices and using data analytics to match customers with products. But like other banks seeking to modernize, Seacoast is trying to balance short-term needs with costly long-term investments.

Many banks are aggressively closing branches to cut costs. Those banks must be mindful about branches in moderate- and low-income neighborhoods or risk downgrades after their next Community Reinvestment Act examination.

A new study finds that P2P borrowers want the option to use branches. Could this be an opportunity for banks?

The Connecticut company was an early adopter of branch modernization, starting an effort four years ago that has led to the closure of underperforming locations, enhanced digital offerings and use of universal bankers.

The resurgence of subprime auto lending has stoked fears about poor underwriting and drawn parallels to the subprime mortgage debacle , but a group of economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York say there is no reason to panic.

Subprime auto originations have nearly doubled in recent years, which has led to warnings of a bubble. But the fears are overstated, especially for banks, which have made fewer loans to borrowers with the lowest credit scores, four New York Fed economists said.

Nearly six months after some CertusBank investors demanded a total management overhaul, the Greenville, S.C., company elected six new board members at an annual meeting last week. Yet investors remain very concerned about the company's ongoing losses and capital levels, new Chairman John Poelker says.

Banks that own broker-dealers need to hold more capital to withstand runs and other shocks, said Eric Rosengren, the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston said Wednesday.