American Banker’s award winners for 2017 had moments in their careers where hard knocks taught an indelible lesson, they trusted their gut or they listened to good advice. Here is a takeaway from each of their stories.

Eagle is trying to debunk claims by Aurelius Value that CEO Ronald Paul and other directors are involved in an insider loan scheme. Eagle dismissed the report as an effort by short sellers to manipulate its stock.

Guaranty Federal Bancshares in Springfield, Mo., has agreed to buy Hometown Bancshares in Carthage.

The $528 million acquisition ends months of speculation that the foreign-owned banks were pursuing a deal.

Another look at how credit unions are giving back to the communities they serve.

KeyCorp's Beth Mooney disarms “a ticking time bomb.” The former head of the Small Business Administration wants to buy Harvey Weinstein’s company. A female FDIC chair is on the way. Plus, the CFPB showdown, an effective way to combat sexual harassment, and laundry tips from Anne Wojcicki.

A lot of lenders say they're dedicated to customer service, but here are six instances when Amarillo National Bank — whose CEO is one of our Banker of the Year award winners for 2017 — went above and beyond the normal call of duty.

For her entrepreneurial spirit and for bringing hometown banking back to Baltimore, Mary Ann Scully has been named a 2017 Banker of the Year award winner.

Jiko hopes to convince consumers that their funds will be safe in Treasury bills, while also generating higher returns than they would in traditional bank accounts.

Even though they do not face the immediate prospect of regulation requiring an open-banking policy, American banks should act as if they do.

Reform of the Community Reinvestment Act should seek to establish a minimum standard for the volume of CRA activities a bank must complete in its assessment area.

Ware has been named a 2017 Banker of the Year award winner for transforming the family-owned bank into a highly profitable community lender that takes calculated risks and prides itself on treating employees and customers well.

Malvern Bancorp’s restatement of nearly four years of results worked out in its favor, but it had to acknowledge — and explain — the reason: Outside accountants spotted a problem in its financial-reporting controls.

Online banks have been aggressively raising the rates they pay on consumer deposits, and that is forcing mainstream banks to consider following suit or risk losing valuable deposits to their more nimble competitors.

Virtual assistants at banks in Israel, Canada and Hong Kong are getting smarter thanks to artificial intelligence.

U.S. payments consultancy FIME has added Discover's payment application specification (D-PAS) accreditation to the Pulse ATM network, allowing it to provide guidance and support services on EMV chip technology for acquirers and issuers unfamiliar with D-PAS.

The $1.9 trillion-asset bank has been facing pressure to shake up a board that failed to head off a reputation-scarring scandal.

The San Francisco bank will immediately begin winding down its marketing of personal insurance products and plans to exit the business for good during the first quarter of next year.

Integrity is set to become the third Houston-area bank acquired by Independent in recent years.

Jayne Opperman is the third new tech hire the bank has made this month.