These articles bring to a conclusion a two-week-long series reporting
The series at a glance:
Dec. 23 - Financial institution choices and customer satisfaction.
*Consumers naming a commercial bank their principal institution dipped
*Satisfaction with principal institutions slid overall. Declines at
Dec. 26 - Confidence in the banking and financial system.
*Even with consumer confidence at a cyclical high, one out of six still
Dec. 27 - IRAs and IRA alternatives.
*Consumer interest in IRA-like accounts for medical costs, education, or
Dec. 30 - Investment products.
*Interest in buying mutual funds, insurance, and other nontraditional
Dec. 31 - Use of branches.
*Nearly half of consumers visit branches three or more times a month.
Jan. 2 - Plastic cards and automated teller machines.
*Visa widened its lead as "card used most often," beating MasterCard by
*Debit-card ownership jumped to 40% from 32% in two years; ATM cards
Today - Home banking.
*Only 3% have banked by personal computer, and PC banking is not growing
American Banker is preparing a more extensive report with these articles