Branch banking

The Pittsburgh regional detailed plans to enter a number of new markets with its digital bank and carefully chosen branch openings.

The digital advice startup had no one with knowledge of branch banking. A board member told them to call Mike Reed, JPM's former retail branch chief.

Flagstar Bank, which is in the process of buying more than 50 branches from Wells Fargo, has hired Ryan Goldberg as a director of retail banking.

BluCurrent CU launched video banking in 2012 in the hope new technology would be cheaper long-term than additional staffing, and the credit union has seen strong growth as a result.

When bank customers are treated poorly by branch employees, it can damage the relationship even if the specific issue is effectively resolved.

A first-in-the-nation ordinance, passed by the city council in the wake of the Wells Fargo scandal, would require banks that want the city’s business to reveal if they have sales quotas for employees. It remains to be seen, though, whether Mayor Eric Garcetti will sign the measure into law.

As branches evolve to become more education-oriented, banks are taking their cues from retailers, hotels and other service sectors.

There's a battle being waged by Bank of Montreal and its smaller rival, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, as they compete against JPMorgan Chase and almost 200 other lenders in so-called Chicagoland — one of the toughest banking markets in the U.S.

The rents are steep and they don't generate much revenue, but some banks believe that airport branches still have a role to play in their retail strategies — particularly as advice centers.

The Cincinnati bank is following a wider industry strategy of opening new branches in faster-growth, urban markets.