At times the vice-president is also selected from the board of directors. This plan results in a close connection between the vice-president and the board. A vice-president is occasionally appointed because of his affiliation with a family controlling prominent local business interests. Under such circumstances he is expected to draw these accounts to the bank, but otherwise he may be called upon to perform little actual service. However, many vice-presidents are experienced executives selected from among the junior officers of the bank or from outside institutions. The number of vice-presidents will vary according to the size of the organization - from one in the case of a small institution to half a dozen or more in a large bank which has grown through expanding its business or through consolidating several competitors.

In a small bank the vice-president may act as the representative of the president, or as assistant in carrying out the duties of granting loans, securing new accounts, and directing the general policy of the bank. In a large bank having several vice-presidents it is possible to distribute these duties so that the best results may be attained through either territorial or departmental specialization. A vice-president may have acquired an intimate knowledge of the economic and financial conditions in a certain section of the country through previous residence or business experience, and so he is given jurisdiction over the transactions in this territory. The principle of specialization is also applied in assigning to a vice-president the supervision of a single department such as the foreign, bond, or trust division in which he has shown particular aptitude.