Branch banking

Xu Guojun, a former local branch head at Bank of China, was handed a life sentence over one of the Asian nation's biggest bank frauds.

The nation's largest bank has already completed many of the branch closings that can boost its earnings, leaving it with "less and less accretive opportunities to consolidate," according to a top executive.

Unions have historically had little success organizing bank employees, but recent high-profile gains for the labor movement have fueled hopes that will change. The two elections at Wells Fargo will be a test.

Diebold Nixdorf is using artificial intelligence to spot trouble proactively — a move that has already increased ATM uptime by up to 3.5%.

NCR Atleos and Diebold Nixdorf are signing deals that grant access to other industries and regions where there's demand for self-serve cash access — with additions such as artificial intelligence and better security.

Neglect of the employees who personally interact with customers can undermine even the most carefully crafted business strategy.

The two megabanks continue to shrink their branch networks, with BofA planning to close 20 locations and Wells recently shuttering 15. Both banks are also opening new branches in certain markets.

First Citizens extends its brand to CIT business lines, Discover launches TV campaign for debit account, Southern Michigan Bancorp announces leadership transition and more in the weekly banking news roundup.

Lisa Rickert and Ruth McCord, who manage branches for Nicolet National Bank, share a passion for connecting with their customers and supporting their communities.

When running a bank branch, there are certain employee behaviors that must be nonnegotiable. But that still leaves plenty of room for improvisation and creativity.