The Latest from Women in Banking

Does gender matter in banking? It does and it doesn't, explains KeyCorp CEO Beth Mooney, who also addresses whether she ever felt gender was an issue for her personally during her banking career.

Absolutely, gender matters in every industry, says Zions' LeeAnne Linderman. And she noticed a difference at Zions as more women joined the senior ranks.

Men and women approach life differently, says Cathy Bessant, Bank of America's global technology and operations executive. Women tend to care more about their legacy, and not many would take satisfaction in having a tombstone that says, "great banker."

Count Ally Bank CEO Barbara Yastine among those who think gender is still an issue in banking. Here's what she thinks women can do about it.

Last year's No. 1 Woman to Watch, Karen Peetz is this year's No. 2 Most Powerful Woman in Banking. It's a customary for spot for Peetz, who had been a fixture among the top five for years and was ranked No. 1 in 2011.

Few banking executives in the country have as much on their plates these days as Marianne Lake.

The mentoring program Pamela Joseph started in 2010 for leaders in U.S. Bancorp's payment services division has yielded some crucial insights.

Motivation isn't a problem for Carrie Tolstedt. "As I go to my office each day, I pass by a stagecoach in our lobby" — a powerful reminder, she says, of Wells Fargo's stability, based on a century and a half of zeroing in on what people want from a bank.

In more ways than one, "diversity" has been a watchword in Avid Modjtabai's career.

To say Cathy Bessant has a big job would be an understatement. She leads a business unit comparable in size and budget to some of the largest corporations in the country, and her responsibilities grew further in April when the unit absorbed Bank of America's consumer and mortgage-servicing operations.