Branch banking

A Wells Fargo customer was interrogated, fingerprinted and mistakenly arrested for check forgery after a series of mistakes on the bank's part. He was cleared, and Wells says it made an error, but they are now fighting in civil court.

In the wake of the economic crisis, Paul Volcker called automated teller machines the last financial innovation that improved society. A decade later, their popularity is slipping.

Vernon Hill's U.K. bank sold $479 million of new stock and issued fresh details about its turnaround efforts. Those included plans to cease its controversial practice of purchasing design and branding services from a business owned by Hill's wife.

The moves are part of a plan CEO Rajinder Singh discussed in a conversation with American Banker.

As Metro Bank’s problems mount, calls for Hill’s ouster as chairman are getting louder.

The new capital will allow the Austin bank to increase its lending limit.

The company said it could use proceeds from selling common and preferred stock to increase lending and add branches.

The Honolulu-based credit union said its earnings dropped by more than 37% from a year earlier.

Online banking and self-service options for customers free branch workers to focus on business development. Employees will need to step up to the challenge or they'll be left out.

Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union wants to eventually add eight counties to the four it currently serves.

As part of the continuing rebuilding effort in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, Banco Popular's nonprofit foundation has several startups working out of its main location in San Juan. For Camille Burckhart, it is part of a mission to help the island get back to normal.

Banks from the North and South are converging on the city, spurred by a spike in deposits and employment numbers that trump national averages.

The institution had considered a merger of equals that was never finalized before deciding to change its name to Elevate Credit Union.

The credit union is also developing a new shared branching space as part of a unique co-location strategy.

Credit unions have measures in place to assist members hit by fraud but many smaller institutions are challenged when it comes to an effective response.

Leaders in bank innovation have ideas for improving financial services with high-speed, highly responsive 5G networks — ideas they say could be implemented relatively quickly.

The Minneapolis bank will open about 10 branches in North Carolina's largest city by the end of next year, adding to already intensifying competition among big banks.

A surcharge-free ATM network among credit unions based in Central Texas has helped raise the profile of small CUs there – and some say it’s a strategy institutions in other cities could easily adopt.

CEO Andy Cecere acknowledges that other banks have tried to broaden customer relationships and selectively expand into new markets before and struggled. But the sophistication of today’s online and mobile services could make all the difference this time, he says.

With branch traffic on the decline, some CUs have taken steps to tweak their facilities in order to help brick and mortar stay relevant in a digital world.