Branch banking

The ATM industry was already mired in the painful transition away from hardware to digital technology, and now it must try to persuade consumers and merchants that cash isn’t unsafe to handle.

Before the coronavirus outbreak, financial institutions, wary of robberies, prevented customers from covering their faces. As branches reopen, public health concerns are forcing accommodations.

Banks are looking to reduce their consumer credit risk exposure in the face of high unemployment; the drop in branch transactions is causing banks to rethink how many they need.

Prior to the outbreak, members were banned from covering their faces inside branches for security reasons. Now institutions must devise ways to keep everyone healthy and safe.

Digital banking has ramped up during the coronavirus lockdown but customers will seek somewhere to go as cities reopen. A branch could provide that safe haven.

Faced with limited growth opportunities and potentially mounting loan losses, banks are getting aggressive — and creative — to boost profits.

Financial institutions are trying to determine how to best protect branches as some demonstrations following George Floyd's death turn violent.

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.

U.K. ATM operator LINK reported that its cash withdrawals have fallen by 60% over the past month ending April 27 when compared to the same period one year earlier.

Financial institutions are finding that on-screen agents can offer most services that occur in a branch, but with a more personal touch than the phone or internet.

The Georgia bank could rely more on drive-through-only branches, trim office space and reassess staffing levels after the coronavirus crisis, according to Kessel Stelling.