Regional banks

The Women to Watch

A handful of newcomers join some familiar faces on our list of the Most Powerful Women in Finance for 2019.

Diane Morais, the head of consumer and commercial banking for Ally Bank, is forthright about what went wrong after her institutions started offering mortgages in 2017 — and how the institution went about fixing the situation.

Karen Larrimer, who oversees retail banking for PNC Financial, is encouraging women who frequently get caught up in trying to do it all to think harder about prioritizing.

Kate Quinn, the vice chairman and chief administrative officer of U.S. Bancorp., said that banks have long been focused on the experience of customers, but could benefit from greater emphasis on employees as well.

Wolverton has been accumulating responsibility and influence at Synovus in recent years and is the highest ranking woman at the company.

The success of Erminia "Ernie" Johannson's United Way campaign is a testament to her skills as a leader and motivator and goes a long way toward explaining why BMO Financial CEO Darryl White keeps giving her bigger and more important jobs.

Tepid loan demand, falling interest rates and heightened competition from nonbank lenders are just some of the headwinds facing commercial lenders these days, but Ardalan believes MUFG can expand its credit appetite without compromising safety and soundness.

First Republic Bank has been understandably mum about who might replace founder and Chief Executive James Herbert when he retires in two years, but Hafize Gaye Erkan, its 39-year-old president, is considered a leading candidate.

Nandita Bakhshi, CEO of Bank of the West, has pushed the bank's environmental commitments further, including $1 billion in clean energy financing over the next five years.