Branch banking

Prosecutors say a Bronx crew recruited homeless people and walked them into branches to open accounts. The controls it beat were mostly human ones, standing at a branch counter.

The regional bank revealed plans Thursday to close most of its supermarket-based branches and replace about half of them with new, nearby standalone branches. The multiyear transition could attract $20 billion to $30 billion in low-cost deposits, executives said.

A breakout month by the company's newly acquired investment banking subsidiary, BTIG, added nearly $100 million of revenue during the second quarter.

Every business needs a competitive advantage. But for banks their core product, money, is by definition commoditized. So where do banks find an advantage?

Unlike several other large banks, neither Citi nor Citizens Financial Group is interested in expanding their retail branch presence beyond their existing footprints. Both say they see plenty of growth opportunities in those markets.

The megabank's first investor day in four years offered a comprehensive look at how it plans to grow profits and drive higher returns in the coming years. Part of the strategy involves branch updates.

The Providence, Rhode Island-based bank is analyzing its 14-state branch network and plans to unveil details of a branch optimization plan by midyear, executives said.

Big-bank executives explained this week why they're still investing in their physical footprints, even as AI advances rapidly and financial technology firms wade deeper into the banking business.

Employees at two of the 28 Wells branches where workers previously voted to unionize are now shedding union representation.

Citi's top executives are considering buying a bank, according to anonymous sources. Such a move would help ramp up deposits to help fuel other operations, they said.

The Canadian bank laid out its rationale Thursday for opening new branches in California. The objective is to increase density in the Golden State, and subsequently achieve greater market share and higher returns.

Three years after acquiring Bank of the West, BMO is preparing to open 130 branches in the Golden State, where it thinks it can achieve density and critical mass. The Toronto-based bank also plans to open 15 branches in Arizona.

WesBanco in Wheeling, West Virginia, has hired a team of lenders in South Florida. It plans eventually to open branches in a bid to grab a share of the region's expanding deposit market.

The Alabama-based regional bank plans to open 135 to 150 branches over the next five years, while closing the same number. Regions' decision to accelerate its timeline by two years comes as large and regional banks try to capture more market share in the Southeast.

By acquiring the ATM firm, Brink's hopes to expand in retail commerce. Plus, Revolut issues a card to compete with Amex; Standard Chartered has a new payments chief; and more in American Banker's global payments and fintech roundup.

A negative work environment with unhappy employees is going to adversely impact the customer experience, even when employees don't voice their dissatisfaction out loud. Bank managers need to create a positive culture.

Banks that have more than $50 billion of assets but are smaller than the megabanks scored the lowest on customer satisfaction, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index's 2026 finance study. The industry's overall score remained stable.

The Olympics are boosting spending in Italy, large-in-part thanks to Americans. In the U.K., Barclays is reportedly leading a meeting to seek support for an existing project. The meeting comes against the backdrop of geopolitical concerns and the dominance of American-based payment firms.

First National Corp. in Virginia announced the sale of its two North Carolina branches. Meanwhile, a number of larger competitors are laying plans for growth in the Carolinas.

Court documents reveal how a teller used the drive-through window and work email to aid a scheme that bypassed TD's fraud defenses.