National banks

Nandita Bakhshi has begun to put her stamp on Bank of the West.

Long before she set out to reshape CIT Group, Ellen Alemany accepted her first job as a bank CEO — on the eve of the mortgage meltdown. A big lesson that has stuck with her since then is the importance of communicating clearly and constantly with employees.

American Banker on Sep. 25 announced its 15th annual ranking of the Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance.

Climbing the ladder at a large company can be daunting. At Bank of America, promising women and minority candidates are given personalized attention early on to give their careers a boost.

Bank of America's reputation took an enormous hit from the financial crisis; it's been Anne Finucane's job to restore it.

When Zions Bancorp. in Salt Lake City decided to consolidate its seven bank charters into one, executives knew they would have to work hard to retain their most talented employees amid all the disruption.

The Most Powerful Women in Banking are reshaping not only their institutions, but also their industry. And each is doing so in her own unique way.

KeyCorp's $4.1 billion purchase of First Niagara is being hailed as a success, and Amy Brady deserves substantial credit.

Some of these leaders are new to their roles, while others have been in theirs for years. But one thing they all have in common is that they are commanding attention.

When Citigroup encounters its next big, nettlesome problem, it's a good bet that Barbara Desoer will be called on to fix it.