Data Sets

Underperformance was a matter of perspective this year. A strong stock market provided a lift to all banks with more than $20 billion in assets, though these institutions underperformed relative to the 30% rise in the KBW Bank Stock Index.

The KBW Bank Index continued its upward trajectory in 2013, again outperforming the S&P 500 (all returns are through Dec. 12). This year, many of the top performing bank stocks among those with $20 billion or more in assets were large community banks rather than the biggest institutions.

A selection of images featuring credit unions' efforts in their communities.

Square, Google, PayPal and many other mobile payment providers overhauled their technology in 2013. Here's a look at how things changed, on the surface and underneath.

A look at 10 bankers who will be busy in 2014 digesting big acquisitions, finding new sources of revenue, answering critics or proving themselves in new roles.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. As excerpted from the Comments sections of AmericanBanker.com articles.

The 10 most popular BankThink posts of 2013, based on audience page views.

Wells Fargo's basement lab, mobile banking fees, social media, and branch design were among the hottest tech topics of 2013. Click through to see all the most-read stories of the year.

The banking world was full of missteps and miscalculations in 2013. These folks - well, except for those who will remain behind bars - are hoping for sunnier skies in 2014.

Increased regulatory pressure, lackluster economic growth and the end of the refinancing boom contributed to another challenging year for the industry, but the following 10 executives found ways to rise above the competition.

The most notable quotes from American Banker stories of the previous week. Readers are encouraged to add their own observations in the Comments fields at the bottom of each slide.

Many companies are already looking past the mobile phone to find the next high-tech payment device. A few companies are also equipping fashion items with Near Field Communication chips and other technology that can be repurposed by the payments industry.

Quantum computing is being made ready for use in banking. A quick look at what goes on inside a high-speed quantum computing machine.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. As excerpted from the Comments sections of AmericanBanker.com articles.

The bold-faced names of government, technology and finance have jumped into peer-to-peer lending, one of the fastest-growing - and buzziest - new segments of financial services, led by players like Lending Club and Prosper. Here are some of the celebrities who have decided to embrace peer-to-peer lending.

Birthdays. Pet names. No matter how often banks preach the importance of online security, some consumers still insist on using passwords that are as easy to hack as they are to remember. With mobile apps, fraud risk is often accompanied by frustration among users who are forever fat-fingering data on tiny alpha-numeric keyboards. Following are five ways that banks are aiming to make the mobile log-in experience safer and more user-friendly.

Regulators braved a short-lived but intense snow storm in Washington D.C. on Tuesday to approve the final Volcker Rule, a regulation designed to prevent banks from engaging in proprietary trading. Within minutes of its approval, banks, lawmakers and others reacted to the long-awaited provision. Following are some of the highlights:

The most notable quotes from American Banker stories of the previous week. Readers are encouraged to add their own observations in the Comments fields at the bottom of each slide.

A selection of images featuring credit unions' efforts in their communities.

Many payments companies are testing Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, which has a wider range, and is considered an alternative to, Near Field Communication for executing mobile payments. BLE-based technologies are also being developed for customers to check into stores and for merchants to deliver marketing and loyalty programs. Here are few companies giving BLE and other NFC alternatives a try.