In March, American Banker Research conducted an in-depth online survey of 52 bank chief financial officers from American Banker's readership as part of our inaugural C-Suite Series. The respondents were from banks with less than $10 billion in assets, with vast majority coming from banks with $100 million to $1 billion in assets. They were asked how they spend their time, where they would like to take their careers and how they are handling the unprecedented challenges of today's banking environment. Among the insights revealed from the survey: Basel III hasn't been a big deal for the top line — yet; few CFOs are focused on mergers and acquisitions; and many of them consider their roles strategic. Highlights from the research follow.

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Of the nearly 5,000 institutions that fit our criteria for this ranking, these are the 500 most profitable as measured by their three-year average return on equity.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including a case for the CFPB's debt collection regulations and the dangers of "real-time" transaction monitoring.

Regulators' latest guide for examining anti-laundering procedures lacks wholesale changes, but institutions still must decipher minute changes with potentially big impacts.

As more community banks switch to a universal banker model, they are also finding that it can take a year — or more — to properly train those employees.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and from our social media platforms.

Banks want all loans held in portfolio to be classified as ultrasafe regardless of the underwriting characteristics or of a bank's asset size. But consumer activists and independent mortgage lenders are raising red flags ahead of possible Senate Banking action.

FirstBank in Lexington, Tenn., has agreed to buy Northwest Georgia Bank in Ringgold.

Ocwen Financial's shares jumped 19% to more than $10 a share as of late morning Friday, the day after it reported a first-quarter profit and highlighted an expansion into mortgage lending.

Hanmi Financial has opened loan production offices in New York and Georgia.

First BanCorp in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has been released from a consent order with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Complaints filed with the CFPB against collection agencies jumped in March while district court numbers revealed an uptick in lawsuits

The Costco cobrand card was a huge win for Visa, but nevertheless the card network's chief executive, Charlie Scharf, found himself defending the terms of the partnership.

A measure of consumer credit defaults released Thursday by S&P Dow Jones and Experian shows a slight downward movement.

Too many bank customers feel disgruntled after interactions with their financial institutions' digital tools, calling centers and branches. Banks can solve the problem by taking a page from brands that have successfully marketed themselves as being on the customer's side.

Simmons First National in Pine Bluff, Ark., has agreed to buy Ozark Trust and Investment Corp. in Springfield, Mo.

Patricia Goldstein, the commercial real estate finance pioneer, veteran workout banker and mentor of many of today's top female executives, died Thursday in Highland Beach, Fla. She was 69.

The troubled Atlanta mortgage servicer's independent auditor has again delayed its 2014 financial results and has raised questions about the firm's viability, CEO Ron Faris said after Ocwen reported a steep earnings drop.

WASHINGTON — Federal banking regulators are putting pressure on a dozen or more states to begin regulating appraisal management companies within their borders.