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Community bank executives need to focus on these three areas in order to embrace change and cater to younger, tech-savvy customers.

It's easier than ever for consumers to take out personal loans to pay down high-cost debt or fund big-ticket purchases, and two new studies show that they are taking full advantage of their options.

Banks are looking to beef up ease and convenience in P-to-P payments to avoid being reduced solely to back-end payments processors for fintech startups.

Banks face immense challenges trying to keep up with technology, but they also must cater to older customers with big deposit accounts who still use their branch.

Under Jill Castilla, the once-sleepy Citizens has been transformed into a thoroughly modern institution that has become a model for other small banks trying to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive financial services marketplace. For that reason and more, she is one of American Banker's three community bankers of the year.

As the digital era continues to force banks to rethink what and who they are, institutions are increasingly pressured to relay their brand messages to consumers through newer mediums and in emotional ways rather than hard sales pitches.

A customer's social media presence provides a window to the soul, which a more traditional credit history cannot touch.

Banks have a lot of work to do to modernize branches and keep their technology on par with other businesses' digital tools. Here are some ideas worth borrowing from retailers, restaurants and consumer electronics makers if banks haven't adopted them already, says appointment-software firm Financial Management Solutions.

SunTrust Banks in Atlanta has hired Corinne Cuthbertson as a brand, advertising and digital marketing executive.

U.S. Bank recently updated its mobile app to a system that would allow it to react more quickly to new technology. It's going to need that flexibility now that consumers are complaining about missing features in the latest upgrade.

The competitive environment has raised the importance and profile of marketing, but many banks are still trying to market themselves on a shoestring budget.

There's another fintech accelerator coming to New York.

Kabbage is one of many nonbank lenders looking to partner with traditional financial institutions. But the firm is facing a tough sell with bankers who worry about the risks associated with ceding control of the loan-underwriting process.

During the recent market volatility, apps that aim to lure non-typical investors into the market faced a problem with which all digital-only financial products contend: no office to visit for reassurance. Companies turned to emails, tweets and pop-up messages to try to replicate the soothing voice.

Supporters of big data tend to be at loggerheads with people who are concerned about fair lending issues. In order to have a productive conversation, both sides need to distinguish between the goals of the lender and the goals of the general public.

The American Bankers Association has planned a financial literacy campaign to help seniors and their caregivers guard against financial fraud.

Community Trust in Ruston, La., took the rare step of replacing its hodgepodge legacy core system. The move should cut processing costs in half. In the meantime, the bank's taking a lot of calls from confused customers.

A new ad from the U.S. unit of Toronto-Dominion Bank that features a same-sex couple is more than a social statement, as it also says a lot about the fragmentation, context and consumer control that are part of modern TV viewing habits, according to the company's top marketing executive.

Wells Fargo tapped the head of its wholesale services unit to lead a new research and development division.

JPMorgan Chase is set to launch its new homepage on Sunday, marking its first major overhaul of Chase.com since 2012. The new homepage aims to simplify language and makes the company's news and stories feature more prominent with the hopes of driving customer engagement.