In putting together the 2014 edition of the Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance, we decided to pose a few questions about gender to our honorees. One of those questions became a theme: "Does gender matter in banking?" You'll find some of the responses here, and we invite you to share your thoughts.

We all say things can be better. These women act.

• FirstMerit's Sandy Pierce: Standing up for Detroit
• Bank of America's Cathy Bessant: Paying It Forward
• M&T's Michele Trolli: Leading a Bear of a Digital Transformation
• Zions' LeeAnne Linderman: Starting a Charity from Scratch
• RBC's Lisa Pollina: Creating Jobs for Military Veterans
• NorthStar's Julie Goodridge: Fighting for Investors and Gay Marriage

Debby Hopkins' team brings fresh ideas to Citigroup by thinking and acting like tech entrepreneurs. Her Citi Ventures unit is an outlier in that its top four executives are women.

Meet the winners of the 2014 Young Women's Leadership Award. These scholarships are awarded as part of the Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance program.

We recognize five banks where women are playing outsized roles in setting strategy and driving results, and each one has an interesting story to tell. Check out how the female executives at Bank of America, Bank of the West, BMO Harris, Citizens Bank of Edmond (Okla.) and Zions are making a difference.

• Bank of America
• BMO Harris Bank
• Bank of the West
• Zions First National Bank
• Citizens Bank of Edmond

Female representation on boards is on the rise and that’s a good thing for innovation, argues Susan Stautberg of WomenCorporateDirectors.

Broadway Financial in Los Angeles plans to raise nearly $10 million through a private placement.

Mitch Feiger, CEO of MB Financial, along with Mark Hoppe, former Taylor CEO, reflect on the merger, the regulatory environment and keeping key people happy in the highly competitive Chicago market.

Nonagency mortgage securitization has fallen well short of forecasts this year, as commercial banks bid up for loans to put on their balance sheets. But the fourth quarter could offer this moribund market a chance at redemption.

Doral Financial Corp. (DRL), the holding company for Puerto Rico's No. 2 mortgage lender, may soon find out whether a San Juan judge agrees it's owed a $229.9 million tax refund the government has refused to pay.

Two companies allegedly violated the FTC Act and grossed more than $11 million through a diploma mill scheme, according to a complaint.

Collection company USCB Inc. agreed to pay $2.75 million to settle a Telephone Consumer Protection Act class action lawsuit.

The Pittsfield, Mass., bank was honored for a television commercial that features the voice of Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma.

People's United Financial in Bridgeport, Conn., has successfully recruited a former executive at JPMorgan Chase to join its board.

Comerica Bank and San Diego County Credit Union have battled in recent years to claim the Guinness World Record for "Most Paper Collected in 24 hours."

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

The purchase of Santa Barbara Tax Products Group is the latest move by the prepaid card pioneer designed to lessen its dependence on retail giant Wal-Mart.

At least two mortgage servicers say they are close to being released from an OCC enforcement order that required 14 of the nation’s largest bank servicers to fix flaws in their foreclosure reviews. But the OCC says it has set no timetable for freeing any of the banks from the 2011 order.

The old taboo against loan purchases is being quietly broken, as small and regional banks with excess liquidity chase higher yields and find a common interest with banks that need to drain some assets.

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.