From exposes of questionable practices at megabanks to incursions onto bank turf by nontraditional players, these are American Banker's most popular stories of 2012.

Little guys are getting a rare chance to feast at a big guy's expense. Small banks nationwide are eagerly buying dozens of branches from B of A, which must slim down. However, the buyers are at risk of gorging themselves.

An executive from a Missouri bank has been elected as chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines.

Covenant Bank in Chicago could fail if it does not raise fresh capital soon.

Unable to seal their deal, C1 Bank and U.S. Century have instead struck a new agreement that would still give C1 a foothold in the Miami area.

"Deposit fee" is one of the more popular terms being used in new naming conventions, while some banks are scrapping their fees altogether.

BankUnited is expanding its footprint in the Sunshine State.

United Community Bancorp in Lawrenceburg, Ind., is extending its community offering after receiving insufficient orders for stock to complete its second-step conversion.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has terminated an enforcement action against HomeStreet Bank in Seattle.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has named Gateway Bank CEO Jeffrey Cheung to a minority advisory committee, and he spilled the beans a little early

Successful banks are, among other things, focusing on education and employee training courses, establishing a formal enterprise risk management department and tying compensation to clearly defined best practices.

Other banks have let employees make 'Gangnam Style' videos to blow off steam, but SVB Financial staffers went global with their involved production.

These financial services executives won't be sorry to see this year end and are hoping for better results in 2013.

The board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati has reelected Carl F. Wick, a former NCR executive, as its chairman. B. Proctor Caudill Jr. was also reelected as vice chairman, the bank said.

Capital, cost-cuts and creativity. Those are three things banks, especially small ones, will need to ride out a period of low margins and stiff regulation until economic conditions improve, says BankUnited CEO John Kanas.

Red River Bancshares in Alexandria, La., plans to expand into the Baton Rouge area with a deal to buy Fidelity Bancorp.

In the most challenging banking environment in memory, BankUnited's John Kanas expects the winners to be those companies most adept at amassing capital, cutting costs and figuring out the innovation puzzle.

OceanFirst Financial in Toms River, N.J., expects to increase its fourth-quarter loan-loss provision because of Hurricane Sandy and new regulatory guidance for borrowers who have filed for bankruptcy.

The industry returned to sustainable (albeit tepid) profitability this year and housing appears to have bottomed. Regulatory fines and litigation continue to cast a pall on the future, however.