Inside Summary

CALL CENTERS: A SPECIAL REPORT REMOTE BANKING: The enormous popularity of telephone banking, the workhorse of remote delivery, has amounted to a quiet revolution in the industry. 4A PERFORMANCE: Telephone banking has been wildly successful. But with costs rising, more banks are weighing fees for customers who over-use call centers. 6A OUTSOURCING: Some banks are now turning to third parties to run their call centers to provide better service without large investments in technology and staff. 10A CONSULTANT'S CORNER: Questions bankers should ask before spending big money on telephone banking. 18A DEPARTMENTS: RETAIL BANKING: Banks big and small are going after small businesses. Wisconsin's Advantage Bancorp found an edge with technology. 8A RISK MANAGEMENT: The complexity of new risk management systems could put them out of reach of all but the most sophisticated banks, some experts caution. 12A SOUNDOFF: Will banks need to reduce their retail staff by 50% over the next decade to remain competitive? 16A