C-suite

Security and online and mobile banking rose to the top of bank CIOs' priority lists this year, according to a proprietary survey by American Banker and SourceMedia Research.

A survey of 50 bank CIOs conducted by American Banker found CIOs' daily lives are still dominated by the need for state-of-the-art customer-facing technology, security concerns and concerns around business strategy and revenue growth.

While hiring a chief risk officer is a given at the big banks, smaller institutions must weigh several factors and options in determining the risk leadership model that works for them.

On top of dealing with cyber threats and other potential dangers to banks, CROs are deeply involved these days in discussions over investing in new products and business lines.

Cyber threats or fraud may present bigger direct risks to banks, but many chief risk officers spend enormous amounts of time on the more tangible concern of keeping up with ever-growing regulatory expectations and requirements.

A role many people did not understand less than a decade ago has become integral to how banks navigate a new set of postcrisis hazards.

The financial crisis and its aftermath elevated the stature of CROs. The true test of their new clout will come during the next market expansion.

American Banker Research conducted a detailed online survey of 49 risk management executives from our readership as part of the inaugural C-Suite Series. The respondents included risk managers from banks with over $10 billion in assets all the way down to institutions with less than $100 million in assets. Questions covered topics from where risk officers devote the most attention to what roles they see themselves taking on next. The survey reveals executives' significant focus on regulatory risk and that boards are being responsive to concerns raised by chief risk officers. Here are highlights from the research.

Enterprise risk management is an area banks are trying to master, and the appointment of a chief risk officer to oversee this effort has become common, even among community banks. We asked CROs and other experts for their perspectives on this evolving role, the skills needed to do the job well and their biggest worries.

Bankers scratching their heads about how to attract millennials can take some comfort knowing that generations ago their predecessors also struggled to connect with America's youth. Crocker National Bank found a way, though.

Bank marketing was once largely a function of architecture. More than anything else, customers were looking for safety and solidity and banks sought to convey those concepts through their buildings. Today, with branch traffic steadily declining, bank marketing is reinventing itself as chief marketing officers — a relatively new title in the industry — face unprecedented challenges and opportunities.

With more than 1,300 U.S. branches and a Canadian parent company, TD Bank hardly qualifies as a community bank. But the institution is trying to underscore its local-bank bona fides with marketing campaigns touting its support of neighborhood causes.

A growing number of banks employ chief marketing officers who manage multimillion-dollar budgets and are involved in high-level corporate decision-making. The pressure's on to come up with creative ways to differentiate their brands and connect with customers.

Aside from shoestring budgets, the biggest problem for many community banks is that their marketing programs have gone stale, experts say. For too many, marketing remains bounded by three time-worn pillars: advertising, direct mail and public relations.

If you think bank marketing is all, or even largely, about advertising, think again. As fewer customers make regular trips to branches, banks are relying more on their marketing departments to connect with the public. We asked bank marketing executives around the country to talk about the challenges they face and how their roles have evolved. Here are some of their responses.

We asked bank chief financial officers what advice they would give their younger selves. Here is what they wish they'd known when they started their careers.

A chief financial officer's workday is booked solid dealing with regulatory issues, risk assessments and finding places to cut costs. If they could find an extra hour, bank CFOs say they would use that time to consider how to improve their banks' strategies, employees and communities.

If banking is under attack, then chief financial officers are the defenders of the realm. Equipped with the numbers, they are uniquely positioned to bring the credible answers their stakeholders seek and the changes their companies need.

They spent their formative years analyzing balance sheets saddled with problem assets. They watched their mentors struggle to keep their banks afloat through the crisis. And they took good notes.

Our new special reports and proprietary research profile the key executives flanking the CEOs at financial institutions and explore how their roles have evolved. First up: the chief financial officer.