Smarts matter, of course, but the key to career advancement lies in your ability to lead and motivate others, says Nandita Bakhshi.

Bank of the West is widely viewed as a tech innovator, and some of the credit goes to CIO Kirsten Garen.

A former regulator, Yvette Hollingsworth Clark is boosting compliance staff at one of the nation's largest retail banks.

Executives from TD, Northern Trust, Synovus, Wells Fargo, PNC and EnerBank explain why they rate the importance of board service so highly.

Diversity takes a lot of different forms, and the need for it in the boardroom is becoming more widely recognized as an imperative. Some of our Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance — including Northern Trust's Jana Schreuder and Citi's Julie Monaco — offer their perspectives.

Why is the goal of better gender balance in the senior ranks so elusive? And what can we do about it? Some of our Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance weigh in.

One of the things that struck me in getting to know the women in our rankings better is that some of them have had significant career setbacks along the way. But they exude confidence anyway, because they have learned how to be fearless.

Confidence, accountability and a willingness to take risks are common traits among highly motivated executives. But true power comes from execution, says HSBC's North American CEO, who advises women to "be in it to win it."

Successful. Influential. Innovative. These women are driving results at their institutions, and paving the way for the female talent behind them.

Kent Wiechert, owner of Weststar Mortgage in Albuquerque, N.M., has acquired Goldwater Bank in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Atlantic Capital Bancshares in Atlanta plans to issue $50 million in subordinated debt to finance its acquisition of First Security Group in Tennessee.

Fidelity Bank in Fuquay-Varina, N.C., has agreed to buy a branch from First Citizens BancShares.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule Monday that will make it easier for some community banks to make qualified mortgages.

Peoples State Bank in Albia, Iowa, has agreed to acquire a branch from Iowa City's MidWestOne Bank.

A shorter, less burdensome and more sensible call report is an important step toward reducing community banks' regulatory burden.

California Bank of Commerce in Lafayette, Calif., has agreed to buy Pan Pacific Bank in Fremont, Calif.

Two banks with labor ties — Amalgamated Bank of Chicago and United Business Bank in Oakland — are beginning to aggressively court commercial clients.

Community banks are hoping regulators' recent decision to drop certain items from call reports is just the beginning of supervisory efforts to streamline the forms to reduce their burden.

Fidelity Bank, a mutual in Fitchburg, Mass., that's merging with another mutual, has named Christopher McCarthy chief operating officer.

Studies are showing that companies predominantly led by women perform better than those led by men; worldwide trends are showing a continuing uptick in the number of women on boards, but they still account for less than 20% of directors.