By pressing forward in business banking, auto lending and branch expansion, CEO Stephen Steinour has Huntington moving fast — and thinking big.

Eight acquisitions in two years have positioned CenterState as one of Florida's breakout banks. Meanwhile, John Corbett's shrewd maneuver into correspondent banking — as others were exiting the business — has generated new revenue streams.

Throughout his three decades in Congress, Barney Frank reached across the aisle to tackle big problems, and crafted groundbreaking legislation with far-reaching effects for banks.

Will our decisions turn out to be the right ones?

De novo banks are rare in Britain, where a handful of venerable but unpopular institutions rule the market—and Vernon Hill couldn't be happier there.

The Bethesda, Md., bank Paul founded in 1998 has reported increased profits in 15 straight quarters, and it's showing no signs of slowing down. Paul's relentless pavement pounding has yielded lasting and profitable relationships.

Citizens Republic was on the ropes when Cathleen Nash took it over in 2009, but by mid-2011 it was making money again. Investors liked what they saw, and were even happier in September when the company announced it would sell itself to FirstMerit.

This year's winners include nimble strategist John Corbett of CenterState, able ambassador Ron Paul of Eagle Bancorp and turn-around artist Cathleen Nash of Citizens Republic.

During three decades in Congress, Barney Frank reached across the aisle to tackle big problems and craft groundbreaking legislation.

The hardest part of selecting Community Bankers of the Year is narrowing down the field to three. Here's a look at the trio who stood out the most and seven others who merit honorable mentions.

Charter Financial in West Point, Ga., plans to sell additional stock and convert to a full public company from a mutual.

Bankers who take government bail-outs to stay afloat should be paid no more than the civil servants who saved their business, said Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of "The Black Swan."

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says it will propose changes to the remittance rule to ease burdens on community banks. It is also delaying its implementation by an additional 90 days.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has sponsored a stand-alone bill to give the Transaction Account Guarantee program another two years, but its passage is not a slam dunk.

A report issued Tuesday by CardHub.com says that the Fed set an "embarrassingly low bar" for issuer disclosures.

These banks have outperformed industry averages for years and continued to do so in 2012, avoiding the exceptional losses that often follow exceptional returns.

Most homebuyers do not obtain multiple offers or even compare interest rates when buying a home, according to new study released by Fannie Mae.

U.S. Bank in Minneapolis would gain an in-house prepaid card processor and tap a rich corporate payroll segment in buying FSV Payment Systems.

The tentative approval of Visa and MasterCard's proposed $7.25 billion settlement of a merchant fee price-fixing case will be challenged in a federal appeals court.