Throughout his three decades in Congress, Barney Frank reached across the aisle to tackle big problems, and crafted groundbreaking legislation with far-reaching effects for banks.

Will our decisions turn out to be the right ones?

The Bethesda, Md., bank Paul founded in 1998 has reported increased profits in 15 straight quarters, and it's showing no signs of slowing down. Paul's relentless pavement pounding has yielded lasting and profitable relationships.

Citizens Republic was on the ropes when Cathleen Nash took it over in 2009, but by mid-2011 it was making money again. Investors liked what they saw, and were even happier in September when the company announced it would sell itself to FirstMerit.

This year's winners include nimble strategist John Corbett of CenterState, able ambassador Ron Paul of Eagle Bancorp and turn-around artist Cathleen Nash of Citizens Republic.

During three decades in Congress, Barney Frank reached across the aisle to tackle big problems and craft groundbreaking legislation.

The hardest part of selecting Community Bankers of the Year is narrowing down the field to three. Here's a look at the trio who stood out the most and seven others who merit honorable mentions.

Charter Financial in West Point, Ga., plans to sell additional stock and convert to a full public company from a mutual.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has sponsored a stand-alone bill to give the Transaction Account Guarantee program another two years, but its passage is not a slam dunk.

These banks have outperformed industry averages for years and continued to do so in 2012, avoiding the exceptional losses that often follow exceptional returns.

Banks must take a stand against a shattered culture or suffer the repercussions of a fractured chain of command, reduced productivity, high employee turnover, weak customer service and poor work quality.

Banking associations are mounting another push to keep the Senate from voting on a bill to raise the cap on credit union business lending.

Regulators released new details on how they will enforce restrictions on charter swaps by troubled banks writes American Banker's Joe Adler.

StoneCastle Cash Management, an investment adviser that provides funding solutions for community banks, is buying a listing service for buyers and sellers of certificates of deposit.

Margin pressure, regulatory hurdles and intense competition will test the nation's smallest banks next year, industry experts predict. Those issues could lead to a resurgence of consolidation among community banks.

An increased cap would almost certainly lead large institutions, hungry for short-term profits, to take greater risks that they are ill-equipped to handle.

Regulators released new details on how they will enforce restrictions on charter swaps by troubled banks.

Some banks are looking past the short-term economic challenges and betting on a small-business recovery. Here's how executives from Bank of America, PNC, U.S. Bancorp and others assessed the market at SourceMedia's recent Small-Business Banking conference.