The Most Powerful Women in Banking

A female executive sues Bank of America, accusing the company of being a "bros club" and paying her less than male colleagues; Democrats call on the overwhelmingly "white and male" Fed to prioritize diversity; Goldman, which lags when it comes to female leadership, names a new CEO for its bank unit, coincidentally swapping in a man for a woman. Also, Ruth Porat, chief culture officers, and the stubborn gender pay gap.

Louise Walker, the head of First Northern Bank in Dixon, Calif., will be wearing an additional hat over the next year — chair of the California Bankers Association.

HCSB Financial in South Carolina recently raised $45 million from a group led by Castle Creek Capital Partners, showing that big investors are still comfortable placing bets on financial firms. The challenge for banks like HCSB will be to find ways to put that capital to work years after other institutions were able to start playing offense.

The $125 billion-asset company said in a press release Tuesday that Kate Randall Danella will lead a team of private wealth management professionals providing banking, trust and investment management services to affluent and high-net-worth individuals and families.

Fifth Third Bancorp has hired Citigroup's Melissa Stevens to the newly created position of chief digital officer and head of omnichannel banking.