Demographics

A growing number of banks employ chief marketing officers who manage multimillion-dollar budgets and are involved in high-level corporate decision-making. The pressure's on to come up with creative ways to differentiate their brands and connect with customers.

Aside from shoestring budgets, the biggest problem for many community banks is that their marketing programs have gone stale, experts say. For too many, marketing remains bounded by three time-worn pillars: advertising, direct mail and public relations.

A specialized Wells Fargo branch in Des Moines and the nonprofit Digital Finance Institute are part of a small but growing movement to improve access to financial services for emigres who have escaped war or persecution.

If you think bank marketing is all, or even largely, about advertising, think again. As fewer customers make regular trips to branches, banks are relying more on their marketing departments to connect with the public. We asked bank marketing executives around the country to talk about the challenges they face and how their roles have evolved. Here are some of their responses.

We asked bank chief financial officers what advice they would give their younger selves. Here is what they wish they'd known when they started their careers.

A small Austin, Texas, bank, formerly called Libertad, had to abandon its initial plan to target unbanked Hispanics. But it has made the most of its second chance by finding a niche in lending to real estate investors. Now it's looking to diversify.

At a time when regulators, prosecutors and the media have stepped up their scrutiny of subprime auto lending, some in the industry have changed their definitions of key terms in ways that downplay the risks involved.

Last year the mail carrier's office of inspector general suggested a potential expansion into small-dollar lending, but the ambitions laid forth in a new report have been scaled back considerably.

Global financial inclusion efforts have made big strides, but documentation requirements continue to hinder access to financial services, and women and the poor remain disproportionately underserved, according to the World Bank's annual study.

Lending and access to banking services in distressed neighborhoods has risen as a result of "mission-oriented" banks, according to a new report from the National Community Investment Fund, an advocacy organization.

A statement by a foreign regulator that it might penalize banks that drop businesses due to heightened supervisory risk has spooked U.S. institutions who worry domestic agencies could follow suit.

Companies like OnDeck and Lending Club are under pressure to keep finding new borrowers, but there are signs that customer acquisition costs are rising amid heavier competition.

Western Union said it's not in talks to acquire smaller rival MoneyGram International. Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Western Union is in early-stage talks to buy the company, as both contend with competition from upstart money-transfer companies.

Western Union is in early-stage talks to acquire smaller rival MoneyGram, people with knowledge of the matter said, as both companies contend with stiff competition from upstart money-transfer companies.

There will always be a need for small-dollar loans. But loans that trap people in debt and burden borrowers with triple-digit interest rates are simply abusive.

Last month Western Union sharply cut its prices to keep pace with the retail giant, several months after MoneyGram took a similar step. The developments offer a reminder of why banks remain scared of Walmart's consumer finance ambitions.

A chief financial officer's workday is booked solid dealing with regulatory issues, risk assessments and finding places to cut costs. If they could find an extra hour, bank CFOs say they would use that time to consider how to improve their banks' strategies, employees and communities.

If banking is under attack, then chief financial officers are the defenders of the realm. Equipped with the numbers, they are uniquely positioned to bring the credible answers their stakeholders seek and the changes their companies need.

They spent their formative years analyzing balance sheets saddled with problem assets. They watched their mentors struggle to keep their banks afloat through the crisis. And they took good notes.

Our new special reports and proprietary research profile the key executives flanking the CEOs at financial institutions and explore how their roles have evolved. First up: the chief financial officer.