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Branch transaction volumes are dropping but many banks continue to view physical facilities critical to acquiring customers, originating loans and branding businesses: The branches just need a different, lower-cost design.

Wells Fargo (WFC), Bank of the West and Umpqua (UMPQ) are among the banks scaling down branches and eliminating teller windows. Here's a photo sampling of branch concepts that do away with the need for larger real estate.

(Image: Thinkstock)

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Wells Fargo opened a "neighborhood store" in April in Washington, D.C. At 1,000 square feet, it is only one-third to one-quarter the size of the bank's conventional locations.
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Wells Fargo uses movable walls that can be used to create semi-private rooms. Five employees, equipped with Microsoft Surface tablets, staff the D.C. neighborhood store.
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Umpqua has been building small branches since 2006 that it refers to as neighborhood stores. The bank is operating about a score of the downsized locations, which range between 1,000 and 1,500 square feet and cost about $500,000 to build.
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Umpqua's neighborhood stores include computer stations and electronic menus displaying local events. The designs are aimed at encouraging consumers to linger.
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Bank of the West has opened 10 small branches (2,500 square feet) that include access to tablet computers.
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One of Bank of the West's smaller branches opened its doors in Mill Valley, Calif last December.
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