The Most Powerful Women in Banking

Though the general counsel and head of compliance at TD Bank is primarily responsible for making sure the bank's business units are playing by the rules, Ellen Patterson says it is also her team's mission to root out inefficiencies that might be slowing down decision-making and causing pain to customers.

Michelle Di Gangi is quietly building Bank of the West into a force in small- and midsize-business lending.

Retaining top talent is a priority for Joan Parsons, Silicon Valley Bank's executive vice president for corporate banking, so last year she launched an internal development program that provides top employees with new experiences and challenges that might ultimately prevent them from jumping ship.

The highest-ranking female at Fifth Third Bancorp is actually a relative newcomer to banking.

U.S. Bancorp is one of the largest, most respected financial institutions in the country, so it seems almost hard to believe that until Kate Quinn was hired in 2013, it didn't have a consistent branding strategy.