At a time of mild or nonexistent loan growth, middle-market borrowers in the Lone Star State are providing a boost to Fifth Third Bancorp and Huntington Bancshares.

The Columbus, Ohio, regional bank will focus first on Dallas before venturing statewide. Its move into the Lone Star State comes three months after announcing a similar initiative in the Carolinas.

The longtime Most Powerful Women in Banking honoree looks back on her 40-year career and the power of persistence.

The Columbus, Ohio-based bank expects to hike expenses by about 4.5% this year as it ramps up investments in geographic areas and specialty banking verticals where it sees growth opportunities.

The Ohio-based regional bank has laid out an ambitious expansion blueprint, including new health care asset-based lending, a Native American financial services unit and a push into commercial banking in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Executives at the Columbus, Ohio-based regional bank were convinced by a presentation Veuu, the solution's developer, made earlier this year.

The Ohio-based regional bank continued to drive loan and deposit growth in the second quarter. But lending activity is expected to ease while funding costs remain high, tempering net interest income expectations for the full year.