Branch banking

Bankers spent Monday cleaning up damaged branches, wondering if their small-business clients will need more emergency aid and contemplating how the racial and economic inequalities highlighted by days of violent protests nationwide can be corrected.

With the pandemic putting Plexiglas in short supply, Joe McDonald called up a local source: a former classmate.

Some credit unions have closed branches as demonstrations continue following the death of George Floyd last week.

The Ohio company said the decision reflects branch overlap and lower customer usage of the locations being shuttered.

After nearly two decades with the company, Hanisch is the longest-serving member of the executive team at CO-OP Financial Services.

Our second monthly survey found a smooth transition to remote work and digital customer access channels — but technology issues still arose. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of having a strong digital presence across all retail sectors, including financial services.

Often overlooked in narratives about essential workers, branch and call-center employees are responding to challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis. They’ve processed emergency-relief loans late into the night, coached customers unfamiliar with mobile banking and made house calls to elderly account holders.

The Summerville, S.C.-based institution will also close two branches as part of a broader strategic effort to better service members.

COVID-19 diagnoses in McKinley County, which includes Gallup, account for nearly a quarter of the state's cases. That has forced officials to take drastic action.

Credit unions moved quickly to reduce branch access as the coronavirus crisis worsened. The harder decision will be when and how to begin lifting those restrictions.