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First Community Bancshares, of Bluefield, Va., increased its profits slightly as legal costs and losses and expenses from selling foreclosed real estate declined.

Here's our annual list of the most profitable 200 publicly traded community banks and thrifts, with an analysis of how they are managing to outperform peers. The ranking is based on three-year average ROE.

With the role of the chief financial officer being redefined since the financial crisis, we asked CFOs at banks across the country, from Stock Yards' Nancy Davis to Comerica's Karen Parkhill, about what parts of the job they most enjoy, which tasks are taking up more time now than in the past, where they wish they could spend more time and, finally, what they would tell themselves at the beginning of their careers. Here are some of their responses.

Popular Inc. in San Juan, Puerto Rico, reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings despite grappling with the higher costs associated with its acquisition of assets from the failed Doral Bank.

Carolina Premier Bank in Charlotte, N.C., has recruited Timothy C. Key to be its new chief lending officer and Carrington S. "Cash" Canada as its chief credit officer.

Signature Bank in New York is poised to start lending to city governments. The move is well-timed; the wind-down of GE Capital removes a competitor and provides Signature with a chance to buy assets and hire salespeople.

Sun Bancorp in Mount Laurel, N.J., swung to a profit thanks to branch closings and other expense reductions.

Old National Bancorp in Evansville, Ind., missed first-quarter expectations as merger-related and streamlining expenses negated many of the benefits from recently completed acquisitions.

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The sharp decline in oil prices has tempered John Allison's enthusiasm for buying banks in the Lone Star State — or even making loans there.

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Clearview Federal Credit Union is wrapping up its "Thanks A Million" initiative, part of its "10th Anniversary Members Matter Celebration" that has been investing a total of $1 million in Clearview members and community over the last three months.

The Pennsylvania company is keen on buying a bank with $1 billion or more in assets to soundly cross a threshold that would bring with it more regulatory scrutiny.

HSBC Holdings executives said little about the future of their U.S. bank and other underperforming businesses at a sometimes contentious annual shareholder meeting Friday.

Millions of dollars spent on software upgrades are worth the hit to short-term profits, executives at the Buffalo bank said, because it will be able to run deeper credit profiles of borrowers.

BankUnited in Miami Lakes, Fla., reported lower quarterly profit as its noninterest expenses rose.

Low interest rates may be pressuring margins, but they provided a lift to community banks that sell mortgage originations. Bankers are now debating how long the current refi boom will last.

Prosperity Bancshares in Houston hit analysts' earnings forecasts despite a linked-quarter decline in loans and profit.

Hancock Holding in Gulfport, Miss., reported lower profit as low oil prices stymied loan growth in the energy sector.

City National Bank in Los Angeles said Thursday that its first-quarter profit climbed 14% from the same period last year, fueled by a surge in real estate construction and commercial lending.

Columbia Banking System in Tacoma, Wash., tapped organic growth and its purchase of Intermountain Community Bancorp to post higher quarterly profit.