Branch banking

The North Carolina company had promised regulators not to close large numbers of branches until December. Meanwhile, vendor contracts, leases and other hurdles have made it hard to accelerate efforts to offset a sudden decline in revenue.

The Illinois company will shutter 17 locations, or about 15% of its branches, early next year.

The Minneapolis company says the majority of branches earmarked for closing have already been shuttered for months due to the pandemic. Some of the savings will be plowed back into digital expansion.

The coronavirus outbreak has taught community bankers to think on their feet and experiment. Speakers at an industry conference this week advised their peers to stay innovative to ensure they endure in a changing world.

With its first branch outside the Northeast U.S., the unit of the Spanish banking giant Banco Santander wants to reach international clients who are familiar with the brand.

Many sectors are concerned about making money in an economic downturn, but those fears are higher in the financial sector, according to a study from Arizent.

The company joins a growing list of community banks paring back their networks.

Whether it was their nimble shift to digital, or willingness to interact in new ways with customers in branches, bank employees have met head-on the business challenges posed by the outbreak.

Russia's largest bank is reinventing itself as a technology company and selling its own consumer electronic devices. Its chief tech officer says the moves are all about developing broader, more enduring customer relationships that the bank controls fully.

The moves are intended to offset a protracted period of historically low interest rates and expectations of higher credit costs in 2021.

A nationwide branch network remains a calling card for the entire industry, while also exemplifying the movement's cooperative spirit.

The company will shutter a fifth of its locations, while reinvesting some of the savings in its digital banking platform.

Several companies said this week they’re slashing expenses as the economy limps along. Others would prefer to keep investing in new technologies and hold off on moves like branch closings to better gauge which changes in consumer behavior will stick.

Banks are augmenting their use of masks, distance markers and the like with apps to notify employees of exposure to infected individuals and technology meant to make branch visits safer.

The $282 million-asset institution's new name is intended to build on its work with underserved communities around St. Louis.

“What COVID has done for us is it has showed us where to prioritize investments,” William Demchak said at an industry conference in discussing the Pittsburgh company's plans to speed up the shift to digital banking.

The company joins a growing list of banks shuttering locations as customers flock to digital channels.

Chris Gorman, the Cleveland company's chairman and CEO, said at an industry conference that an ongoing shift to digital channels provides an “opportunity to continue to ramp up" efforts to shutter physical locations.

U.S. Bank and Regions revamped their apps with accessibility in mind; JPMorgan Chase built a branch for customers who are deaf. Such efforts can help banks appeal to more customers in existing markets.

The Liberty Lake, Wash.-based credit union has agreed to buy four branches from the Roseburg, Ore.-based bank.