Cathy Bessant

Jane Fraser, who in February will become the first female CEO of a Wall Street bank, said during a Women in Banking event hosted by American Banker that she will be “the first of many, many more” to come.

The awards gala was a who's who in banking, both at the podium and in the audience. The FHFA settles the sexual harassment complaint involving Mel Watt. And an OCC veteran talks about her career.

The ‘Unsinkable Cathy Bessant’; Thasunda Duckett’s rising star takes center stage; the challenges facing Wells Fargo chief Charles Scharf; Fannie, Freddie to retain $45B in capital; and more from this week’s most-read stories.

Speakers at the Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance gala stressed the need to use their power to help the next generation of women as well as enlist others in seeking gender parity.

Cathy Bessant, American Banker's Most Powerful Woman in Banking, discussed the difference between fearlessness and bravery at the 2019 gala.

She turned around troubled business units, rebounded after a demotion and beat cancer. Now Bank of America’s chief operations and technology officer is taking on her biggest challenge yet: ensuring AI is used responsibly.

Cathy Bessant, BofA’s chief operations officer, is the Most Powerful Woman in Banking; 6 standout fintechs at Finovate 2019; the Citi CEO says gender pay gap is ‘a challenge we need to tackle together’; and more from this week’s most-read stories.

Cathy Bessant, Bank of America's chief operations officer and American Banker's Most Powerful Woman in Banking, has undertaken major initiatives outside her institution, including a focus on responsible AI.

Other executives are being considered, too, but the list is dwindling as JPMorgan’s Gordon Smith and other big names are said to be out of the running. Meanwhile, senior Wells executives have pushed to keep interim CEO Allen Parker.

Cathy Bessant, Bank of America’s chief operations and technology officer, offers her takeaways from the first meeting of the Council on the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence. She also shares some challenges banks are facing with cyberattacks and data encryption.