There were dividend increases, record profits and promising growth initiatives in businesses such as credit cards. But with the pressure on the company's mighty mortgage business intensifying, it wasn't all smooth sailing for American Banker's Banker of the Year.

What does it take to be an effective leader? Here's some insight from our bankers of the year, John Stumpf, Simone Lagomarsino, Joseph DePaolo and Johnny Allison.

The 66-year-old chairman of Home BancShares in Conway, Ark., sure does tell it like it is. Here are some of his more colorful quotes and the stories we enjoyed most.

Though bankers generally applauded the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's final rule on mortgage disclosures, they are raising concerns that some of the changes need to be fixed or they'll have no choice but to assess higher fees at the closing.

Cash America agrees to pay $19 million to settle charges that it illegally robo-signed documents, overcharged members of the military, and stymied a CFPB examination by destroying and withholding information.

Big banks have not done enough in the five years since the financial crisis to make themselves more socially responsible corporations, according to a report released Wednesday by a shareholder advocacy group.

Community groups are uniting to protest Regions Financial's (RF) short-term loan program, calling on the Birmingham, Ala., company to ditch its "Ready Advance" product.

JPMorgan Chase this week agreed to pay $13 billion to settle mortgage-related claims, under a landmark agreement with the Department of Justice. American Banker editors discuss what the settlement means for the bank, Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon and state and federal authorities.

Cash America will pay up to $19 million to settle allegations that it robo-signed documents, overcharged military borrowers and destroyed documents during a CFPB exam.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Wednesday unveiled an enforcement action against Cash America International for robo-signing and other violations. American Banker editors discuss what the action says about the future of the small-dollar loan market and the CFPB's future enforcement activities.

Banks may never be able to restore their reputations after the financial meltdown, the director of the "Wall Street" movies told a Commercial Finance Association gathering. Surely the association wasn't expecting a pep talk.

U.S. Bancorp (USB) in Minneapolis plans to join the American Express (AXP) credit card network by fall 2014.

The U.S. could be at a competitive disadvantage by being less proactive in the area of gender diversity on boards. We’ll need to engage CEOs everywhere to achieve meaningful progress.

Bank of Commerce Holdings (BOCH) in Redding, Calif., has promoted Randall Eslick to be its new president and chief executive.

Americans continued to cut back on credit card debt and reduce late payments in the third quarter, according to a new report from TransUnion.

A U.S. Bancorp (USB) subsidiary has agreed to acquire the Irish hedge fund administrator Quintillion.

Tayfun Tuzun recently become the Cincinnati company’s CFO after his predecessor was reassigned as part of an settlement with the SEC. Tuzun is now handling financial reporting at a time when regulation is on the rise.

A federal judge has temporarily halted, and frozen the assets of, a Montreal operation that bilked more than $14 million from small businesses and churches in the U.S. for unwanted listings in online business directories.

Law firm Rimon has added a former Bank of America (BAC) lawyer as a partner in its new Boston office.