The Most Powerful Women in Banking

Ann Marie Mehlum, who has joined a lending platform called SmartBiz Loans after stints as a community banker and an SBA official, says the combination of fintech and old-fashioned banking could bring back small-business loans under $100,000.

BMO recently won a diversity award for reaching its goal of having women in 40% of senior management jobs, and CEO Bill Downe argues equal treatment of employees will carry over to fair treatment of customers and create long-term profits for shareholders.

Andy Harmening will succeed longtime retail banking chief Mary Navarro, who is retiring in June.

B of A's Cathy Bessant and Michelle Moore have a few suggestions for women who want to advance and RBC's Janice Fukakusa sets a new pay benchmark for female executives. Plus, Bank of the West's Nandita Bakhshi and Citi's Yolande Piazza.

Bay Street's highest-paid female banker set a new benchmark for women executives in the banking industry — though their ranks among the top wage earners remain thin.