A number of state banking associations held their annual conferences in posh out-of-state locations this year as executives show a greater willingness to make travel plans.

Chile's Banco de Credito e Inversiones has received regulatory approval to acquire City National Bank of Florida, more than two years after the deal was announced.

First Midwest Bancorp in Itasca, Ill., has agreed to buy Peoples' Bank of Arlington Heights in Illinois.

With Beth Mooney in charge, KeyCorp has emerged as one of the industry's top regional banking companies while becoming a model for workplace diversity.

With 25 years of experience as a small-bank CEO, Laurie Stewart has emerged as a leading advocate for community banking in her home state and nationwide.

Having aced the challenges she faced in 2014, Diane D'Erasmo was rewarded with a new position overseeing HSBC's business with core industries in key growth markets.

When the Japanese-owned bank was undergoing an exhaustive review of its operations, senior executives gave Wendy Breuder perhaps the daunting task: identifying cost savings across six business lines spanning eight countries. She more than delivered.

For the chief executive of a bank with just $253 million of assets, Jill Castilla has had an outsized influence on the banking industry.

The statistics are dismal: Last year, just 16% of board seats at S&P 1500 companies were held by women, less than the percentage held by directors named John, Robert, James and William. But plenty of women are working to change that, including quite a few in our rankings.

KeyCorp's Beth Mooney tops the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking list; the 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance list is led by Mary Callahan Erdoes at JPMorgan Chase; and Jane Fraser at Citigroup heads the 25 Women to Watch list.

Marianne Lake has become more prominent at the nation's largest bank, emerging as the voice in discussing its performance and defending its size.

The highest-ranking woman at the world's largest custody bank is looking to better understand millennial employees. "They are the future," Peetz says.

As Wells Fargo's head of community banking, Carrie Tolstedt has to grapple with an ever-changing retail landscape and a lot of new technology.

Wells Fargo's consumer lending unit has thrived under Avid Modjtabai.

Cathy Bessant, who has a new C-suite title at Bank of America, builds confidence by taking on challenges that scare her. She also takes on technological decluttering and gender equality.

Citi wants to be viewed as a technology company with a banking license and it's up to Heather Cox to make that happen.

The first female COO in Northern Trust's history has worked there for her entire 35-year career, rising through the management ranks by taking roles outside of her comfort zone. Now she's on the short list of potential successors to CEO Rick Waddell.

The head of Citi's banking unit is working to improve the gender imbalance in the senior executive ranks while also streamlining global retail operations.

Newly promoted Diane Reyes has learned the art of getting more resources for a project. Hint: revenue growth helps.

Wherever there's trouble at JPMorgan Chase, Sandie O'Connor is likely to follow.