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Meet JPMorgan Chase's new general counsel. Stacey Friedman, a tough financial litigator who also fights for social justice, is the only woman to serve as the general counsel of a systemically important U.S. bank. From crisis-era legal strategy to a recent failed grade on a living will, she embraces every challenge. But one of her proudest accomplishments is unrelated to banking: a pro bono case she helped win to stop a ban on same-sex couples adopting children.

Some bankers are proud of making it through the financial crisis. Imagine doing that while also contending with a huge personal crisis. Karen Glenn, the chief executive of a Kentucky community bank, is a single mom of twin boys. She had just made it through a major health issue with one of her sons, when the other was diagnosed with cancer.

Rosilyn Houston couldn't have known it at the time, but the year she spent caring for her toddler son while he underwent treatment for leukemia would have a profound impact on the trajectory of her career.

Centric Financial is one of the few publicly traded banking companies with women in the chief executive and chief financial officer roles. Centric is also distinctive for its enviable growth and performance. Those two facts are not purely coincidental, according to President and CEO Patricia Husic.

First Bancorp in Southern Pines, N.C., has terminated loss-share agreements tied to a pair of failed-bank acquisitions.

Only a dozen banks still owe the government Troubled Asset Relief Program money, and an unspecified number of others including Reliance Bancshares in St. Louis owe investors who bought their Tarp balances. But Reliance has made problem loans vanish and has a credit line in hand to help retire its $62 million Tarp-related debt.

The $8.3 billion-asset CVB said Thursday that it would pay $57.5 million in cash and stock for the $416 million-asset parent of Valley Business Bank.

Lisa McDougald, the deputy general counsel at the $222 billion-asset BB&T in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Leon Holschbach, chief executive at Midland States Bancorp, a $3 billion-asset company in Effingham, Ill., were appointed to the board this summer.

Home BancShares co-founder and Chairman John Allison is shrinking his ownership stake in the Conway, Ark., company for estate-planning purposes.

Farmers Capital Bank in Frankfort, Ky., has announced a plan to restructure its balance sheet.

CapStar Financial Holdings in Nashville, Tenn., expects to raise net proceeds of $16.6 million in an initial public offering that it plans to spend on growth and other initiatives — perhaps including M&A.

Banks are dumping their mortgage servicing rights because low rates and new rules make it hard to earn a profit. SunTrust, Flagstar and First South Bancorp in North Carolina are taking the opposite view.

Big banks in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday told employees to work from home, following a second night of unrest in the city.

An unusual investment by the Minneapolis company shows how big banks are developing innovative partnerships to deliver financial services in low-income neighborhoods.

First Midwest Bancorp in Itasca, Ill., is planning to shutter 16 branches in connection with its acquisition of Standard Bancshares in Hickory Hill, Ill.

The LegacyTexas Financial Group in Plano sold $50 million in debt to use for possible acquisitions and other purposes.

HomeTrust Bancshares in Asheville, N.C., is beefing up in Tennessee with a deal to acquire TriSummit Bancorp in Kingsport.

The Bancorp in Wilmington, Del., has agreed to sell a portfolio of health savings accounts to UMB Financial in Kansas City, Mo. The portfolio has about 40,000 accounts with $76 million in deposits and investment assets.

Amalgamated Bank in New York has pledged to take operational steps to address global warming.

Financial institutions may have a reputation for being old-school, but their rapidly growing digital-ad budgets are in step with the rest of the business world. Credit unions and banks can both gather valuable demographic data from who clicks on their ads and better measure returns on their investments.