Data Sets

Big banks are issuing prepaid cards for unemployment benefits in 41 states. Here's a breakdown of the many fees — and occasional benefits — for jobless Americans using these cards, according to the National Consumer Law Center.

As diversified as the financial services industry is, no one trade association outright advocates on behalf of large banks. Each organization that shares that role says it offer something unique to the industry's crafting of its message on regulatory policy.

Earnings season was unpleasant for many bankers. Though some reported decent profits and loan growth, executives had to explain glaring weak spots, answer tough questions about deal prospects, defend unpopular fees and make sense of the economy.

On financial policy, the Republican presidential field has been gravitating to the right. Here is a look at where several of the contenders stand on key issues.

Bankers beware. There are a number of industries that are expected to languish even when the U.S. economy starts to recover. As banks try to make loans and spread, these might be good ones to avoid. Economists at IBISWorld note that these industries carry considerable risk and the potential for shrinking revenue.

Despite economic gloom, a number of industries are poised for success, according to IBISWorld research. Here is a sampling of industries projected to produce solid growth over the next five years.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is something of a rare breed. While GOP lawmakers want to change its structure, the bureau is one of the few regulatory agencies that is statutorily run by a single director, instead of by a board or commission. The norm is for senators to confirm multiple appointees to debate, negotiate and finally vote on regulatory policy. Here are some of the more influential boards and commissions at the helm of their respective agencies.

In the 2008 elections, the largest U.S. banks gave far more money to Barack Obama than John McCain, and more generally, favored Democratic candidates over Republicans.But after passage of the Dodd-Frank Act, the same banks are favoring Mitt Romney over President Obama. And they've tilted their contributions more toward Republican candidates.This slideshow looks at changes in campaign-finance trends at the largest banks over the last four years.

Women are still a minority in banking, but their ranks and clout are growing. Leading lights from banking and finance gathered at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Thursday to celebrate the shattering of the glass ceiling.

2011 Most Powerful Women in Banking festivities kicked off Wednesday night at the Gansevoort Park Avenue Hotel in New York.

For almost two weeks activists have taken over Zuccotti Park, in the middle of the financial district, in a so-called occupation of Wall Street. Yes, some are angry at bankers. But there is no unifying theme for the protest. Some people are homeless. Some are unemployed. Others are just mad at the general malaise in the economy. There is a message, though, for those in the industry: Many are sensitive to what they perceive as corporate greed.

The California AG's decision to withdraw from mortgage settlement talks has effectively killed a multi-state deal with the top five mortgage servicers over claims of robo-signing and other foreclosure issues.

Bank dealmakers in recent days have offered 180-degree different views of the European debt crisis and the economic slowdown in the U.S. Some see buying opportunities, and others find nothing worth the risk. Some are standing pat, while others say it is time to act.

The U.S. has long resisted chip cards, which use the EMV standard to improve security over magnetic stripes. But over the past year, the country's resistance has chipped away.

In 1986, for our 150th anniversary issue, American Banker asked dozens of bank bosses to predict what the banking industry would look like in 2011. Following are some of the responses.