The no-starch banker: Ralph W. Babb Jr., new president and CEO of Detroit's venerable Comerica Inc., projects an aura of stability and strength that appeals to investors, customers and employees alike.

But don't underestimate Ralph Babb. He's loved on Wall Street. He knows how to feed a positive culture. His personality literally oozes stability--just what investors, customers and employees need. In just seven short years at Comerica he rocketed to the top of the organization.

Babb has some big shoes to fill. Eugene Miller, the longtime chairman and CEO of Comerica, handed over the operating reins to him at the beginning of the year. Miller will step down as chairman this fall after 46 years with the company. Miller was the mainstay fixture starting with Detroit Bank, through Comerica's merger with Manufacturers Bank in the early '90s and beyond. He was there through acquisitions of banks in Texas and California; banking operations in Florida. Majority ownership of Munder Capital Management. Commercial banking operations in Canada. A subsidiary in Mexico.

It all translates into assets of about $50 billion for Comerica. But don't think for a minute that they're on an acquisition jag. Gene Miller will be missed--but don't forget that Ralph Babb was also a big player during Comerica's rapid growth spurt.

Babb: We looked for acquisitions that would fit. If they're not there, we don't push it. And then they have to fit both where we want to be and they have to have the right culture. One of the things we're most successful with is seizing (that kind of) opportunity.

Talk about local culture in a national firm! Publicly held Comerica has called itself Detroit's "Home Town Bank" for years, because it's true. They've been around in one form or another since 1849, while virtually all of the big guys now have out-of-town owners. Comerica has thus far resisted going the way of its competitors, while rising to become the nation's 17th-largest bank, with an efficiency rating in money spent vs. money earned that's in the top 10 nationally. Comerica earned $710 million in 2001.