The 30 Fastest Growing Salaries for Banks in 2023

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There has never been a year for compensation at financial institutions like the one coming in 2023.

BalancedComp is projecting a 5% labor budget increase — a historical high that may be eye-watering for many institutions. We project that the average midpoint movement will move up by 3.5%, which leaves 1.5% left to accomplish two important salary administration goals for institutions:
1. Differentiate for higher performance.
2. Move the pay levels of employees whose salaries are below the market rate.

Below, we’ve compiled the top 30 positions that have seen pay increases that are 150% to 500% faster than the average annual market rate, based on our primary research. Again, this is a historic year for compensation analysis. Based on 2023 projections, these salary figures attempt to correct a scorching labor market and record inflation.

Many executives think of the Great Resignation as mainly impacting non-exempt staff. While this continues to be an issue for recruiting starting, or entry level, positions, the surprising truth is that one out of three of the fastest-growing salaries are from jobs in the top 25% of your salary grade structure. For example, our research indicates that chief risk officer was the fastest-growing salary in 2021; while still on this list, this year it ranked 26th place.

Loan Departments Are Thriving
By comparison, nearly 25% of the fastest-growing salaries at financial institutions were related to the mortgage department. But demand for these roles may cool in the short term, as home buyers wait for interest rates and pricing to return to levels closer to the historical averages in the past five years.

Commercial loan officers and processors join the list, with a salary movement that is 200% faster than the average for the industry. For the second year, the consumer loan processor position has made the list. This position is typically a Grade 6 and requires only a high school degree and approximately one year of experience. Notably, the hottest jobs in the loan department include both production and support positions.

IT Positions Remain Key
Internal IT positions remain in high demand across multiple industries, making it more competitive to recruit new personnel and retain existing employees than ever before. Within this key area of support, there are several positions that appear on the list of fastest-growing salaries:
• Systems administrator
• Network administrator
• Chief information officer
• IT business analyst

Additionally, there are unique and highly technical IT positions that are starting to show up at banks that we have not seen in the past 20 years. These include full stack software developer, scrum master, senior business systems analyst, Salesforce administrator and more.

Clear Labor Market Demands
Workers remain scarce; it will be more critical than ever for banks to address the needs of of their employees. According to a report this year from SHRM, “this is the tightest labor market in the country’s history. Large manufacturers are offering health care and 401(k) on day one, large signing bonuses, and above-market rates, and they’re still coming up short.”

Most employees do not seek out high stress work environments that use subjective performance criteria to measure their contributions. They are no longer accepting lagging wages that fail to ever reach the salary midpoint. They want benefits that match their current lifestyle and work-life balance needs. What will it take to be a successful employer? Is it culture? Wages? Benefits? Remote work? Diversity? Yes to all of the above.

It can be overwhelming for even the most diligent human resource manager to deal with the confluence of strong market forces, regardless of their institution’s strength. Equipping HR managers and executives with the resources they need to succeed will spearhead their workforce to excellence no matter the economic or operating environment. A 2023 labor budget under 5% means HR will spend needless hours recruiting, onboarding and retraining.

According to 2022-2023 BalancedComp Salary & Incentive Survey research, these are the 30 fastest-growing salaries by job title in the financial sector for the upcoming year:

Fastest Moving Jobs Average Percentage Increase
Head of HR 17.8%
IT Business Analysts 17.0%
Mortgage Originators 14.25%
Digital Marketing Specialist 13.40%
Trust Officer 13.02%
Senior Project Manager 11.22%
Head of Mortgages 10.44%
Head of Marketing 9.97%
Chief Info Officer 9.88%
Mortgage Closers 9.05%
Network Administrator 8.72%
Marketing Specialist 8.64%
Help Desk Specialist 8.54%
Credit Analyst II 7.91%
Mortgage Processors 7.90%
Mortgage Loan Officer (base) 7.81%
Commercial Loan Manager 7.77%
Commercial Loan Processor 7.63%
CFO 7.54%
Collector II 7.53%
Mortgage Loan Officer (Commission) 7.23%
Graphic Designer 7.07%
Systems Administrator 7.06%
BSA Analyst 6.88%
Trainer 6.84%
Consumer Loan Processor 6.79%
Market President 6.37%
Mortgage Loan Officer 6.30%
Head of Risk (No. 1 highest in 2021) 6.19%
Collector I 5.93%
Chief Loan Officer 5.59%

Do Independent Chairs Reduce CEO Pay?

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In an advisory vote earlier this year, shareholders roundly rejected JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s executive compensation package, particularly a whopping  $52.6 million stock option award for CEO and Chair Jamie Dimon. But at the same time, shareholders voted against a proposal to split those roles.

The proxy advisory firms Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services favor separating the CEO and chair roles. “Executives should report to the board regarding their performance in achieving goals set by the board,” Glass Lewis explains in its 2022 voting guidelines. “This is needlessly complicated when a CEO chairs the board, since a CEO/chair presumably will have a significant influence over the board.”

An analysis of Bank Director’s Compensation Survey data, examining fiscal year 2019 through 2021, finds that CEOs earn less when their board has an independent chair. Most recently, the 2022 Compensation Survey, sponsored by Newcleus Compensation Advisors, found that banks with separate CEO and chair roles reported median total CEO compensation of $563,000, compared to $835,385 where the role was combined. 

The results are striking, but they should be taken with a grain of salt. The information collected from the survey, which is anonymous, doesn’t include factors like bank performance. Respondents skewed toward banks with an independent chair. And data alone can’t sufficiently describe what actually occurs in corporate boardrooms.

“I can’t really say which model works better. Look at Jamie Dimon; that’s worked really well for the shareholders of JPMorgan Chase, whereas I think there have been three or four initiatives to try to split that role,” says Jim McAlpin Jr., a partner at the law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. McAlpin also serves on the board of Bank Director’s parent company, DirectorCorps. “It was voted down every time by the shareholders.”

CEOs typically negotiate when and whether they’ll eventually be named chair when they join a bank, says McAlpin. “If you have a very impactful, strong CEO who wants to be chair — most boards will not deny him or her that position, because they want [that person] running the bank.” It’s a small price to pay, he adds, for someone who has such a dramatic influence on the bank’s performance. “There is nothing more important to the bank than a CEO who has a clear vision, who can show leadership, form a good team and can execute well,” says McAlpin. 

But it’s important to remember that boards represent the interests of the shareholders. “The most important thing a board has to do is hire and retain a quality CEO. Part of retaining is getting the compensation right,” says McAlpin. “It’s important for the board to control that process.” 

McAlpin favors appointing a lead director when the CEO also has the chair position, to provide input on the agenda and contribute to the compensation process. 

Truist Financial Corp., in response to shareholder pressure around chair independence in 2020, “strengthened” its lead independent director position, according to its 2022 proxy statement. Former Piedmont Natural Gas Co. CEO Thomas Skains has served as lead independent director of the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank since March 2022. Skains has the authority to convene and set the agenda for executive sessions and other meetings where the chair isn’t present; provide input on the agenda, and approve board materials and schedules; and serve as a liaison between the independent directors and CEO and Chair William Rogers Jr. 

But one individual can’t single-handedly strengthen the board, says Todd Leone, a partner and global head of executive compensation at McLagan. The compensation committee is responsible for the company’s pay programs, including executive compensation, peer benchmarking, reviewing and approving executive compensation levels, recommending director compensation, evaluating the CEO’s performance and determining the CEO’s compensation. With that in mind, Leone says the strength of the compensation committee — and the strength of its committee chair — will influence the independence of these decisions.

Leone also believes that increased diversity in the boardroom over the years has had a positive effect on these deliberations. “A diverse board, in my experience, they’re asking more questions,” he says. “And through that process of asking those questions, various things get unearthed, and the end result generally is stronger pay programs.”

Twelve years of Say-on-Pay — where public company shareholders offer an advisory vote on the top executives’ compensation — has also benefited those decisions, he says. Today, most long-term incentive plans are based on a selection of metrics, such as return on assets, income growth, asset quality and return on equity, according to Bank Director’s 2022 Compensation Survey. And in August, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission passed a pay versus performance disclosure rule that goes into effect for public companies in the fiscal year following Dec. 16, 2022.

“There’s a much higher bar for getting these plans approved,” says Leone, “because the compensation committees feel much more responsibility for their role in that process.”

In McAlpin’s experience, the best CEOs have confidence in their own performance and trust the process that occurs in the boardroom. “If they don’t like the results, they’ll give feedback, but they let the process unfold,” he says. “They don’t try to overtly influence the process.”

Heading into 2023, Leone notes the whipsaw effects that have occurred over the past few years, due to the pandemic, strong profitability in the banking sector and looming economic uncertainty. These events have had abnormal effects on compensation data and the lens through which boards may view performance. “We’re in a very volatile time, and we have been on pay since the pandemic,” says Leone. “Boards, [compensation] committees and executive management have to be aware of that.” 

Top Priorities for Compensation Committees Today

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The compensation landscape in banking is constantly evolving, and compensation committees must evolve with it. We want to highlight three priorities for bank compensation committees today: the rising cost of talent, the uncertain economic environment, and the link between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues and human capital and compensation.

The Rising Cost of Talent
The always-fierce competition for top banking talent has intensified in recent years, especially in certain pockets like digital, payments and commercial banking. Banks are using a variety of approaches to compete in this market and make their compensation and benefits programs more attractive, including special one-time cash bonuses or equity awards, larger annual or off-cycle salary increases, flexible work arrangements and other enhanced benefits.

In evaluating these alternative approaches, compensation committees must weigh the value each offers to employees compared to the cost to the bank and its shareholders. For example, increasing salaries provides near-term value to employees but results in additional fixed costs. Special equity awards that vest over multiple years provide less near-term value to employees but represent a one-time expense and are more retentive.

We expect the “hot” talent market, combined with inflation, to continue applying upward pressure on compensation. However, the recent rate of increase in compensation levels is untenable over the long-term, particularly in the current uncertain economic environment. Banks will need to optimize other benefits, such as work-life balance and professional development opportunities, to attract and retain top talent.

The Uncertain Economic Outlook
In 2021, many banks had strong earnings as the quicker-than-expected economic recovery allowed them to reverse their loan loss provisions from 2020. As a result, many banks could afford to pay significantly higher incentives for 2021’s performance than they did for 2020’s performance. The performance outlook for 2022 is unclear. Inflation, rising interest rates and macroeconomic uncertainty will impact bank performance results in 2022. Results will likely vary significantly from bank to bank, based on the institution’s business mix and balance sheet makeup.

Compensation committees will need to consider how the push and pull of these factors impact financial results and, as a result, incentive payouts. Some compensation committees may need to consider adjusting payouts to recognize the quantifiable financial impact of unanticipated conditions outside of management’s control, like the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate increases. Banks may find it harder to quantify the financial impact of other economic conditions, like inflation. As a result, many compensation committees may find it more effective to use discretion to align incentive compensation with their overall view of performance.
Bank compensation committees considering using discretion to adjust incentive payouts for 2022 should follow three principles:

1. Be consistent: Apply discretion when macroeconomic factors negatively or positively impact financial results.
2. Align final payouts with performance and profitability.
3. Clearly communicate rationale to participants and shareholders.

Compensation committees at public banks should also be aware of potential criticism from shareholders or proxy advisory firms. The challenge for compensation committees will be balancing these principles with the business need to retain key employees in a tight labor market.

ESG and the Compensation Committee
Bank boards are spending more and more time thinking about their bank’s ESG strategies. The role of many compensation committees has expanded to include oversight of ESG issues related to human capital, such as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Employees, regulators and shareholders are increasingly paying attention to DEI practices and policies of banks. In response, many large banks have announced public objectives for increasing diversity and establishing cultures of equity and inclusion.

In an attempt to motivate action and progress, compensation committees are also considering whether ESG metrics have a place in incentive plans. In recent years, the largest banks have disclosed that they are considering progress against DEI objectives in determining incentive compensation for executives. Most of these banks disclose evaluating DEI on a qualitative basis, as part of a holistic discretionary assessment or as part of an individual or strategic component of the annual incentive plan. Banks considering adopting a DEI metric or other ESG metrics should do so because the metric is a critical part of the business strategy, rather than to “check the box.” Human capital is a critical asset in banking; many banks may find that DEI is an important part of their business strategy. For these banks, including a DEI metric can be a powerful way to signal to employees and shareholders that DEI is a focus for the bank.

The War for Talent in Banking Is Here to Stay

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It seems that everywhere in the banking world these days, people want to talk about the war for talent. It’s been the subject of many recent presentations at industry conferences and a regular topic of conversation at nearly every roundtable discussion. It’s called many things — the Great Resignation, the Great Reshuffling, quiet quitters or the Great Realignment — but it all comes down to talent management.

There are a number of reasons why this challenge has landed squarely on the shoulders of banks and organizations across the country. In the U.S., the workforce is now primarily comprised of members of Generation X and millennials, cohorts that are smaller than the baby boomers that preceded them. And while the rising Gen Z workforce will eventually be larger, its members have only recently begun graduating from college and entering the workforce.

Even outside of the pandemic disruptions the economy and banking industry has weathered, it is easy to forget that the unemployment rate in this country was 3.5% in December 2019, shortly before the pandemic shutdowns. This was an unprecedented modern era low, which the economy has once again returned to in recent months. Helping to keep this rate in check is a labor force participation rate that remains below historical norms. Add it all up and the demographic trends do not favor employers for the foreseeable future.

It is also well known that most banks have phased out training programs, which now mostly exist in very large banks or stealthily in select community institutions. One of the factors that may motivate a smaller community bank to sell is their inability to locate, attract or competitively compensate the talented bankers needed to ensure continued survival. With these industry headwinds, how should a bank’s board and CEO respond? Some thoughts:

  • Banks must adapt and offer more competitive compensation, whether this is the base hourly rate needed to compete in competition with Amazon.com and Walmart for entry-level workers, or six-figure salaries for commercial lenders. Bank management teams need to come to terms with the competitive pressures that make it more expensive to attract and retain employees, particularly those in revenue-generating roles. Saving a few thousand dollars by hiring a B-player who does not drive an annuity revenue stream is not a long-term strategy for growing earning assets.
  • There has been plentiful discourse supporting the concept that younger workers need to experience engagement and “feel the love” from their institution. They see a clear career path to stick with the bank. Yet most community institutions lack a strategic human resource leader or talent development team that can focus on building a plan for high potential and high-demand employees. Bank can elevate their HR team or partner with an outside resource to manage this need; failing to demonstrate a true commitment to the assertion that “our people are our most important asset” may, over time, erode the retention of your most important people.
  • Many community banks lack robust incentive compensation programs or long-term retention plans. Tying key players’ performance and retention to long-term financial incentives increases the odds that they will feel valued and remain — or at least make it cost-prohibitive for a rival bank to steal your talent.
  • Lastly, every banker says “our culture is unique.” While this may be true, many community banks can do a better job of communicating that story. Use the home page of your website to amplify successful employee growth stories, rather than just your mortgage or CD rates. Focus on what resonates with next generation workers: Your bank is a technology business that gives back to its communities and cares deeply about its customers. Survey employees to see what benefits matter most to them: perhaps a student loan repayment program or pet insurance will resonate more with some workers than your 401(k) match will.

The underlying economic and demographic trend lines that banks are experiencing are unlikely to shift significantly in the near term, barring another catastrophic event. Given the human capital climate, executives and boards should take a hard look at the bank’s employment brand, talent development initiatives and compensation structures. A strategic reevaluation and fresh look at how you are approaching the talent wars will likely be an investment that pays off in the future.

Research Report: An Uphill Struggle for Talent

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The banking business became more expensive last year, as banks were forced to pay up to attract and keep talent. Some of the talent pressures stem from temporary hurdles, such as inflation. But Bank Director’s 2022 Compensation Survey, sponsored by Newcleus Compensation Advisors, points to broader existential challenges the industry faces in cultivating talent for the long term.

Respondents almost unanimously report that their banks raised non-executive pay last year to keep talent, and a majority also raised executive compensation. But higher pay did not necessarily translate into an easier time recruiting, with clear majorities of bankers and directors indicating that it had also become more difficult to attract and retain talent in 2021.

“Banks are just one industry. I don’t think they’re going to be spared what every other industry is experiencing in terms of the shortage of talent and a reluctance, perhaps, of some people to come back,” says Flynt Gallagher, president of Newcleus Compensation Advisors.

Of course, the banking industry has some unique nuances to its particular talent challenges. Competition for commercial bankers has always been stiff, for instance, and it’s likely to intensify as banks look to commercial lending to offset net interest margin compression.

Demand for talent hasn’t been limited to specialty roles; entry-level and branch staff were also difficult to hire and retain in 2021. Some of that, no doubt, was influenced by the pandemic and its ripple effects, but banks also had a lot more competition for even entry-level workers. Job candidates with cash handling experience pretty much had their pick of opportunities, and banks weren’t competing solely with other financial institutions.

“In many of our markets we’re not just competing with banks anymore,” says Eric Thompson, chief human resources officer at San Antonio-based Vantage Bank Texas. “We’re competing with the grocery store that’s now offering $20 an hour.”

To read more about talent challenges and managing compensation expenses, read the white paper.  

To view the survey results, click here.

Modernizing Total Rewards Programs to Attract, Retain Talent

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The labor market has shifted dramatically and, in many ways, is more competitive than ever.

Low unemployment and decreasing labor force participation has caused high vacancy rates and increased the time to fill open positions. It’s also pressured employers to increase compensation and enhance their total rewards packages to keep up with changing employee expectations.

These market dynamics mean banks need to review their total rewards package. You may find your bank’s people strategy, and current and future workforce, have evolved beyond the total rewards offerings. You might be investing in benefits and programs that aren’t valuable to employees. Here are three top total rewards trends to consider for your bank.

Compensation
For most companies right now, compensation increases budgets that are already falling short due to rapidly rising inflation. Employers are frustrated that they are stretching budgets and profitability by spending more on wages, without necessarily seeing an increase in their ability to attract and retain. Employees are frustrated that their wage increases aren’t keeping pace with inflation; their personal budgets are stretching, particularly at entry-level positions.

In addition, certain specialized and high demand jobs that can be performed remotely — especially in areas such as technology and cybersecurity — means banks are facing competition from local, national and international companies.

Here are ways to succeed in compensation:

  • Short-term incentive programs: Are there ways to enhance your short-term or annual incentive programs? Currently, nearly 91% of employees receive some sort of variable pay, according to Willis Towers Watson’s 2020 US Annual Incentive Plan Design Survey. Increasing the eligibility to additional groups can make the total compensation package more attractive and competitive, as long as it is clearly communicated and understood. Consider accelerating the payouts to semi-annually or quarterly, so employees receive the value more frequently than once a year.
  • Long-term incentive programs: Traditional long-term incentive plans are simply a compensation arrangement with a delayed timing element. While simple to administer, they can lack flexibility that connects employees to the benefits, which creates true retention.

A nonqualified retention program, or sometimes called a SERP (supplemental employee retirement plan) offers the additional benefits of investment discretion, where employees may self-direct their unvested balances across a 401(k)-type menu of funds. SERPs also offer distribution and taxation discretion that allows employees to control the timing of the distribution of benefits. Employers can give employees the opportunity to re-defer their benefits, keeping them invested in a tax-deferred vehicle after they’ve vested. Additionally, a nonqualified program allows plan sponsors a great deal of flexibility when it comes to vesting schedules. Participants can customize schedules and contribution occurrences to fit the organization’s objectives.

  • Compensation philosophy and communication: Employees will develop their own opinions if you don’t communicate with them directly about pay. In a world where it’s easy for employees to gather salary information online, being clear and transparent about the compensation program, including how you review and determine pay rates and market competitiveness, can give your employees confidence that they will be treated fairly and equitably.

Learning, Growth and Development
The “Great Reshuffle” is leading employees to examine their purpose, work lives and future like never before. Learning and development are a key focus for some employees’ future growth and fulfillment. At the same time, companies are faced with the reality that a significant portions of their workforce may leave or retire in the next five to 10 years. Not surprisingly, according to LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report, the primary focus areas of learning and development programs in 2022 are:

  • Leadership and management training.
  • Upskilling and reskilling employees.
  • Digital upskilling and digital transformation.
  • Diversity, equity and inclusion.

With these core skills in mind, learning is becoming central to everyday work, and key to developing future talent. Employees who feel that their skills are not being put to good use in their current job are 10 times more likely to look for a new job than those who feel their skills are being put to good use, according to LinkedIn’s September 2021 survey.

Culture and Connection
Even the best total rewards package can’t make up for a toxic culture. It’s critical to focus on your people and provide opportunities to connect, collaborate and build relationships (whether in person or virtually). This will support your employee’s mental health while building connection with your organization, improving employee retention.

These three total rewards trends all share one thing: It’s important to have leadership and manager support to truly see success. Executives must also communicate early and often with employees in all of these areas, so they understand the true value of your bank’s offerings and have a positive and engaging employee experience. The right components of a total rewards package empowers banks to attract and retain high performing talent to drive performance to the next level.

Compensation Survey Results: An “Untenable” Talent Climate

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Intensifying competition for talent is forcing banks to pay up for both new hires and existing employees.

There were two jobs for every job seeker as recently as March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and employers of all stripes may be feeling like the balance of power has shifted. The results of Bank Director’s 2022 Compensation Survey, sponsored by Newcleus Compensation Advisors, show the banking industry is no exception to these dynamics.

Seventy-eight percent of responding directors, human resources officers, CEOs and other senior executives say that it was harder in 2021 to attract and keep the talent their bank needs than in past years. They’re responding to that challenge, in large part, by raising pay. Ninety-eight percent say their organization raised non-executive pay in 2021, and 85% increased executive compensation. Overall, compensation increased by a median 5%, according to participants.

That’s led bankers to shift their priorities. Managing compensation and benefits costs (46%), paying competitively (40%) and recruiting commercial lenders (34%) have emerged as respondents’ top compensation-related challenges this year. The proportion of respondents most concerned with tying compensation to performance — the top challenge identified in past surveys, going back to 2019 — fell sharply to 21% from 43% last year.

Even in the face of rising compensation costs, they’re also focusing on retaining and keeping staffing levels stable. Fully half of respondents say their bank added staff over the past year and 34% maintained staffing levels. Just 16% decreased their total number of employees. More than half (54%) of those whose bank decreased head count cite competition from other financial institutions and companies in their markets as the primary reason for the decline.

When asked about the specific challenges their organization faces in attracting and retaining talent, bankers and directors point to an insufficient number of qualified candidates (76%), rising wages in their markets (68%) and rising pay for key positions (43%). In anonymous comments, respondents describe other difficulties, such as competition from other industries, challenges with remote or hybrid work and younger workers’ disinclination for certain types of long-term compensation.

“[W]age pressure is incredible,” writes one community bank executive . “Our most significant competitor just implemented [four] weeks of vacation for ALL new hires and pays up to 25% higher for retail banking positions. That cost structure is untenable unless we earn more. We are under extreme pressure for talent at the same time we are building out revenue business lines.”

Key Findings

Banks Pay Up
Banks almost universally report increased pay for employees and executives. Of these, almost half believe that increased compensation expense has had an overall positive effect on their company’s profitability and performance. Forty-three percent say the impact has been neutral.

Lenders In Demand
Seventy-one percent expect to add commercial bankers in 2022, which is almost certainly driven by a desire to grow commercial portfolios and offset expense growth. Over half of respondents say their bank did not adjust its incentive plan for commercial lenders in 2022, but 34% have adjusted it in anticipation of more demand.

Additional Talent Needs
Banks also plan to add technology talent (39%), risk and compliance personnel (29%) and branch staff (25%) in 2022. Respondents also indicate that commercial lenders, branch and entry-level staff, and technology professionals were the most difficult positions to fill in 2020-21.

Image Enhancement
Forty percent of respondents say their organization monitors its reputation on job-posting platforms such as Indeed or Glassdoor. Further, 59% say they promote their company and brand across social media in an effort to build a reputation as an employer of choice, while just 20% use Glassdoor, Indeed or similar platforms in this manner.

CEO Turnover
Sixty-one percent of respondents indicate that they’re not worried about their CEO leaving for a competing financial institution, while a third report low to moderate levels of concern. More than half say their CEO is under the age of 60. Respondents report a median total compensation spend for the CEO at just over $600,000.

Remote Work Persists
Three quarters of respondents say they continue to offer remote work options for at least some of their staff, and the same percentage also believe that remote work options help to retain employees. Thirty-eight percent of respondents believe that remote work hasn’t changed their company’s culture, while 31% each say it has had either a positive or negative impact.

To view the high-level findings, click here.

Bank Services members can access a deeper exploration of the survey results. Members can click here to view the complete results, broken out by asset category and other relevant attributes. If you want to find out how your bank can gain access to this exclusive report, contact [email protected].

2022 Compensation Survey: Complete Results

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Bank Director’s 2022 Compensation Survey, sponsored by Newcleus Compensation Advisors, surveyed 307 independent directors, chairs, CEOs, human resources officers and other senior executives of U.S. banks below $100 billion in assets, with the majority of respondents representing regional and community banks. Members of the Bank Services program have exclusive access to the full results of the survey, including breakouts by asset category, ownership structure and region.

The annual survey benchmarks CEO pay and compensation for independent directors and non-executive chairs, and supplements respondent input with data collected from 96 public banks. This year, it also examines a competitive talent landscape, and CEO succession and performance. The survey was conducted in March and April 2022.

Click here to view the complete results.

Key Findings

Talent Challenges
Managing compensation and benefits costs (46%), paying competitively (40%) and recruiting commercial lenders (34%) have emerged as respondents’ top compensation-related challenges this year. While half say their bank added staff over the past year, 78% say that it was harder in 2021 to attract and keep the talent their bank needs.

Banks Pay Up
Banks almost universally report increased pay for employees and executives. Of these, almost half believe that increased compensation expense has had an overall positive effect on their company’s profitability and performance. Forty-three percent say the impact has been neutral.

Lenders In Demand
Seventy-one percent expect to add commercial bankers in 2022, which is almost certainly driven by a desire to grow commercial portfolios and offset expense growth. Over half of respondents say their bank did not adjust its incentive plan for commercial lenders in 2022, but 34% have adjusted it in anticipation of more demand.

Additional Talent Needs
Banks also plan to add technology talent (39%), risk and compliance personnel (29%) and branch staff (25%) in 2022. Respondents also indicate that commercial lenders, branch and entry-level staff, and technology professionals were the most difficult positions to fill in 2020-21.

Image Enhancement
Forty percent of respondents say their organization monitors its reputation on job-posting platforms such as Indeed or Glassdoor. Further, 59% say they promote their company and brand across social media in an effort to build a reputation as an employer of choice, while just 20% use Glassdoor, Indeed or similar platforms in this manner.

CEO Turnover
Sixty-one percent of respondents indicate that they’re not worried about their CEO leaving for a competing financial institution, while a third report low to moderate levels of concern. More than half say their CEO is under the age of 60. Respondents report a median total compensation spend for the CEO at just over $600,000.

Remote Work Persists
Three quarters of respondents say they continue to offer remote work options for at least some of their staff, and the same percentage also believe that remote work options help to retain employees. Thirty-eight percent of respondents believe that remote work hasn’t changed their company’s culture, while 31% each say it has had either a positive or negative impact.

Using the Succession Plan to Evaluate Talent

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Boards have many duties, from overseeing the long-term strategy of the institution, to approving executive pay packages, to vetting and approving the budget. But one job that they often leave for another day: succession planning. Yet, for forward-thinking banks, having a process for succession not only can strengthen the organization in the future, but also build talent today.

Brian Moynihan, chairman and CEO of Bank of America Corp., recently spoke about this very fact. Despite not having plans to leave the institution he’s led since 2010, the 62-year-old Moynihan explained that the bank reworks its succession plan twice a year.

“We have a deep succession planning process that we go through every six months [on] the board that alternates between the senior most people and then … I do it multiple levels down so we’re always looking,” said Moynihan in an interview last December with CNBC’s Closing Bell. “The board will pick somebody. My job is to have many people prepared.”

Such a clear process makes Bank of America unique, in some regards. While surveys over the years have tried to pinpoint how many companies have formal succession plans, organizations often avoid outlining it to investors, leaving it an open question. The Securities and Exchange Commission revised disclosure rules in November 2020 to encourage companies to outline human capital resources, like diversity rates, employment practices, and compensation and benefits. Of the first 100 forms filed by companies with $1 billion in market capitalization, only 5% of the companies added any additional detail to the succession planning process, according to researchers working with Stanford University and corporate data provider Equilar. Bank Director’s 2019 Compensation Survey found 37% of bank executives and board members reporting that their bank had not designated a successor or potential successors for the CEO.

So much of a bank’s long-term success has to do with having a clear plan if the head of the business must leave. This becomes especially true if the CEO must step aside suddenly, like for a health concern or other emergency. It’s on the board to lead this search. But when done right, it can also become a powerful tool to prepare internal and external talent, a process embraced by the current CEO. 

David Larcker has studied CEO succession planning as a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he leads the school’s Corporate Governance Research Initiative. “One of the two key things that boards do is hiring and firing the CEO,” says Larcker. Many boards, though, “do not put in enough time and effort in succession,” he adds.

By not taking an active approach to this part of the job, it can lead to the wrong hire, resulting in years of poor management. Larcker says one of the reasons for a lack of proper succession plans is often because it’s one of the least exciting roles a board undertakes, so it gets put to the backburner. Plus, since you rarely replace the CEO, it’s not always a priority.

Larcker and his research team sought to identify what occurs when a board lacks a succession plan. They looked at scenarios where the CEO left abruptly, either because the person resigned, retired or made other transitions. These are often the reasons disclosed to the public; in reality, the company may have fired a CEO without stating that fact. Out of the various scenarios, the researchers identified situations where the board and CEO likely parted ways due to performance. 

Out of all the media citations, 67% of the time the company named a permanent successor in the announcement; in 10% of the cases, it appointed a permanent successor but after a delay; and 22% of the time it named an interim successor. Those moments of upheaval provide investors with the clearest insight into whether the board took a proactive approach to succession, since the plans aren’t often public.

When a company named an interim successor, that was one of the clearest signs that the organization fired the CEO without a plan in place, and the stock performance of the company performed the worst after the announcement. Also, it’s worth noting that 8% of the time, the company named a current board member to the CEO role. When that occurred, the company’s stock price often performed worse than when internal or external candidates were chosen. 

What separates the organizations that can name a successful permanent successor from those that can’t? Often, it’s the organizations that have a clear line to the talent that’s growing inside and outside of the bank.

John Asbury knows all too well the need for this line of succession — it’s how he got the head role at Atlantic Union Bankshares, Corp., a $20 billion public bank based in Richmond, Virginia.  When Asbury was tapped as CEO in 2017, he followed G. William Beale, who had helmed the bank — then known as Union Bankshares Corp. — for almost 25 years. The bank had done a full executive search starting two years before Beale stepped away. Now, despite not having any plans to retire, Asbury, 57, takes the job of building succession within the entire organization seriously. 

“There are too few people in the industry who understand how the bank actually works or runs front to back,” Asbury says. “Oftentimes they have their area of specialty and not much else.”

Asbury, who sits on the board of directors as well, works with his human resources and talent evaluators to identify those within the organization who can fill executive roles. In addition to empowering them as executives, he gets them face time with the board. This provides the board with the ability to interact and know the talent that the bank has in the stable. 

“We want these folks to understand how the organization works, and we want them at the table to talk about not just strategy for their business unit, but the bank strategy as well,” Asbury says.

Asbury recently showed this leadership style in a public way by announcing that President Maria Tedesco would add the role of chief operating officer, and he would hand over managing many of the day-to-day operations to Tedesco. This isn’t a succession plan put in place. Instead it’s giving Tedesco the ability to have 85% of the organization reporting to her, while she and other executives at the bank continue to report to Asbury. 

Asbury thinks the move was needed to allow him the freedom to focus on growing Atlantic in other ways. But it also provides Tedesco with hands-on training in managing the organization. Despite the move, Asbury says that it doesn’t prevent him from working with the board on succession plans. 

The compensation committee, which Asbury does not sit on, also runs succession planning at Atlantic Union Bank. Sometimes boards may be hesitant to discuss succession if the current CEO views the discussion as antagonistic. But Atlantic Union undergoes an emergency succession plan evaluation once a year — currently, Tedesco would step in as interim CEO if something unexpected occurred to Asbury. She even sits in on every board meeting except when the executive team is being discussed. 

It’s a conversation that boards cannot be afraid to have. “If the CEO is on the board, that committee or board, has to own the process,” Larcker says.

What doesn’t work when it comes to succession planning? Having the new CEO step into the company while the outgoing CEO continues to helm the business for a few months to a year, added Larker. This design creates confusion from both the leadership and the staff on who they should listen and report to. “Ultimately, it’s a bad sign,” Larcker says.

Asbury knows that all too well. When he took the Atlantic Union role, Beale held the CEO position for three months while Asbury got acquainted with the organization. Within a few weeks, though, Beale let Asbury know that he would clear out the office and Asbury could call him if any questions arose. “Shorter is better in terms of transition,” Asbury adds. 

That can only happen with a plan in place.

Top 25 Bank Boards for Women

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In early December, Nasdaq filed a proposal with the Securities and Exchange Commission that would require its listed companies to disclose diversity statistics about their board’s composition. Boards must include at least one female and, at minimum, one minority or LGBTQ board member. While the exchange recently made some changes to the proposal － to address the concerns of small boards with five or fewer members, for instance — there’s no denying that pressure has been mounting when it comes to improving diversity on corporate boards.

Just look at 2020 alone: Institutional Shareholder Services reiterated that it would vote against the nominating chair of Russell 3000 and S&P 1500 companies that lack female representation. Goldman Sachs Group announced that it will only take companies public if they have at least one diverse board member. And California and Washington both had gender diversity requirements in place for companies headquartered there.

“Diversity of thought forces [boards] to look at solutions in a different way, to look at problems in a different way,” says Kara Baldwin, a partner at Crowe LLP. “It’s simply good business to make sure you have those differing viewpoints.”

But corporate boards often do the bare minimum when it comes to adding women: An analysis of Russell 3000 boards by 50/50 Women on Boards finds that only 5% are gender-balanced, meaning women hold roughly half of board seats.

In a new analysis using its proprietary database of the nation’s 5,000 public, private and mutual bank boards, Bank Director identified the 25 bank boards with the highest representation of women. We focused on banks above $300 million in assets, given the lack of data on very small, private institutions. Only 11 of the banks we examined would meet the goal set by 50/50 Women on Boards.

Women, it should be noted, comprise 51% of the population and 58% of the workforce, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Both big and small banks, public and private, topped our list, showing that diversity is not exclusively a big bank issue. Webster Financial Corp. of Waterbury, Connecticut, with $32.6 billion in assets, and The Falls City National Bank, with $456 million in assets out of Falls City, Texas, top our list. Both boast boards with a membership that’s 56% female — well above the normal balance typically found on corporate boards. Rounding out the list are $1.9 billion First Bank of Highland Park, in Highland Park, Illinois, and Principal Financial Group, the holding company for $4.5 billion asset Principal Bank in Des Moines, Iowa. Both 12-person boards include five women, comprising 42% of membership. Last year, 50/50 Women on Boards found that women held 23% of board seats at Russell 3000 companies.

About six years ago, First United Corp., which has $1.7 billion in assets, started to intentionally focus on its composition, both in terms of skills and backgrounds. “We want to be more relevant to our customers and to our communities, for our shareholders, looking at that whole stakeholder group [including] employees,” says Carissa Rodeheaver, the Oakland, Maryland-based bank’s chair and chief executive. That includes representing diverse backgrounds, in terms of gender, race and ethnicity, and age.

This year, First United will begin using a skills matrix — a practice that helps boards map their directors’ expertise and backgrounds to identify gaps. A diversity and inclusion policy, put in place by the nominating and governance committee, will ensure the board considers a diverse slate of director candidates. “The pool has to be diverse, and that will continue to naturally lend itself to keeping that diversity of thought on the board,” says Rodeheaver. “It’s a great formula that leads to a well-rounded board.”

First United brought on three new directors in the past year — all women, it turns out, who are skilled in regulatory compliance, finance and project management, says Rodeheaver.

Lisa Oliver, the chair and CEO at The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod, a $1.2 billion mutual bank headquartered in Hyannis, Massachusetts, places a high value on the “lived experiences” often uncovered when building diverse boards.

While the traditional executives and professionals often found on corporate boards — current and former CEOs, accountants, regulators and attorneys — still provide valuable insights, banks “have to think about the new needs of banking, and how that aligns with a whole different genre of people and the pipeline we need to cultivate,” says Oliver. For example, boards often seek technology and cybersecurity expertise; these skills aren’t often found at the top of an organization. Or a board might look for someone who can represent an industry that’s important to their bank, like healthcare.

C-suites are still predominantly male and predominantly white: Looking further down an organization chart might serve up an experienced candidate who also brings a diverse perspective to the table.

“You have to work harder; you have to expand that group of who you know,” says Baldwin. “You must be intentional — that’s really important.”

Oliver also wants to attract and retain younger directors to the board at “The Coop,” as the bank is called locally, but has struggled to retain young women as board members and corporators during the pandemic. (Corporators elect board members, but the position can also serve as a training ground of sorts for board candidates.)

“The pandemic has created great stress for young people to [serve] on the board,” says Oliver. One director, a business owner and single mother with a child at home, had to resign, she says. Oliver believes boards should consider how they can structure meetings to make the role more manageable for younger board members who are building their careers and businesses. “Not death by committee meeting, but what are the critical four committees we need to have?” she says. “There’s an art and a science to creating the agenda within that and providing the data to analyze risk, make it manageable.” A 400-page board packet can be difficult to fit into anyone’s schedule, much less that of a Gen X or millennial professional balancing family and career.

Oliver wonders if today’s more remote environment — with boards meeting virtually — could help them attract candidates from nearby Boston — a technology hub boasting a highly educated workforce.

Boards should consider looking outside their local community to find diverse, qualified board members, says Baldwin. Nearby cities, as Oliver posits, could be a valuable well of talent.

Both First United and The Coop are putting practices in place to help make room for new views: First United will declassify its board this year, and Oliver says her bank is putting term limits in place.

And both CEOs tell me that building the board their bank needs is a continuous process. “We need to constantly be looking and identifying individuals that make sense [for our board] and backfill that pipeline,” says Rodeheaver.

“We have to reflect the community around us, or else we’re not able to hit on some of the challenges that we face,” Oliver adds. “It takes effort, and it takes time, and it has to be a constant process.”

Top 25 Bank Boards For Women

Bank Name (Ticker) State Total # Directors % Women on the Board
Webster Financial Corp. (WBS) CT 9 56%
The Falls City National Bank TX 9 56%
Lead Financial Group MO 9 55%
First United Corp. (FUNC) MD 12 50%
The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod MA 14 50%
First National Bank Alaska (FBAK) AK 8 50%
Boston Private Financial Holdings (BPFH) MA 8 50%
New Triplo Bancorp PA 6 50%
Andrew Johnson Bancshares TN 8 50%
Johnson Financial Group WI 10 50%
Minnwest Corp. MN 16 50%
GSB, MHC MA 15 47%
Cambridge Bancorp (CATC) MA 17 47%
First Capital (FCAP) IN 13 46%
Mascoma Bank VT 13 46%
Ledyard Financial Group (LFGP) VT 11 45%
First Seacoast Bancorp (FSEA) NH 9 44%
Orbisonia Community Bancorp PA 7 43%
Stearns Financial Services MN 7 43%
Lockhart Bankshares TX 7 43%
National Cooperative Bank OH 14 43%
MidFirst Bank OK 7 43%
Olympia Federal Savings and Loan Assn. WA 7 43%
Principal Financial Group (PFG) IA 12 42%
First Bank of Highland Park* IL 12 42%

Source: Bank Director internal data, plus bank websites and public filings, as of February 2020. Banks under $300 million in assets weren’t examined given the scarcity of data about these institutions.
*First Bank of Highland Park was left off this ranking when it first published. Bank Director regrets the omission.