Citizens Bank

Hamlin caught the attention of the bank's senior leaders when she oversaw the successful launch of a checking product. Now she sits at the center of every major marketing initiative.

At Beth Johnson's insistence, the bank built an analytics platform that can anticipate customers' needs. It's an investment that is paying off in big ways.

Beth Johnson, who has risen over three decades to become chief marketing officer and head of virtual channels at Citizens Bank, has advanced by looking for opportunities rather than maintaining a fixed idea of where to go.

Several hard realities, including legacy technology and the pace of change in software and apps, leave firms vulnerable to outages that stir public outcry.

In an investor-backed power play, the robo tech firm wants banks to turn to it instead of traditional core software providers as they upgrade to digital-banking-friendly technology.

SigFig was among an early crop of digital advice firms that shifted their focus to serving wealth managers and banks. It has raised more than $100 million from a variety of investors.

Citizens Financial Group is partnering with IBM to develop a virtual career coach that will use artificial intelligence to help employees set career goals and determine what kind of training they need to develop new skills.

An inquiry into the sales practices of more than 40 banks launched in the wake of the Wells scandal found several systemic issues and hundreds of problems at individual institutions. The OCC completed the review in December but is not making the results public.

The Providence, R.I., company said that Citizens Access will open for business nationwide next quarter.

Citizens Financial Group plans to merge its two banking charters into a single national bank. The move would make the OCC the bank's primary regulator and eliminate the costs of dealing with the FDIC and state officials.