The Most Powerful Women in Banking

Often overlooked in narratives about essential workers, branch and call-center employees are responding to challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis. They’ve processed emergency-relief loans late into the night, coached customers unfamiliar with mobile banking and made house calls to elderly account holders.

Lawmakers are pushing for better data on who's receiving loans in hopes that more funds will be directed to lenders that serve women- and minority-owned businesses.

In a still male-dominated industry, does the network help attract and keep more women at the firm? CEO Shirl Penney says yes and has the results to prove it.

The pandemic has fostered the distribution of even more bad information on social media. Banks and other companies need to step up to solve the problem — including support of tougher legal restrictions on internet content.

In an exit interview with American Banker, the former KeyCorp CEO reflected on a trailblazing career, shared her thoughts on leadership and described what it’s like to retire in the middle of a pandemic.