Branch management

A freewheeling discussion (over beers) about the future of branches with Tom Brown of Second Curve Capital and Dave Martin of BankMechanics at the Trump National Doral hotel in Miami during American Banker’s Retail Banking 2017 conference.

Success stories offer relevant lessons for those charting and executing a strategy, but with the proper perspective, stories of setbacks show bankers where they can and must improve.

The shift toward all-digital banking means customers, when they do seek in-person service, bring increasingly complex issues for staff to resolve. Banks must train branch personnel accordingly.

The deal includes $52.6 million in deposits and $13.2 million in loans, and the bank has indicated it plans to close two more locations in Wisconsin in June.

The executive tasked with rebuilding trust in the retail bank discusses how employees reacted to its new incentive pay plan, why Wells stopped calling its branches "stores," how it now prevents salespeople from impersonating customers, and more.

The demonstration was staged by a union-affiliated group that wants to organize bank workers.

Instead of waiting to be disrupted by fintech startups, a pair of credit unions are rethinking what they are, who they serve and how they do it — and it's paying off by bringing younger members into the fold.

Solarity CU is piloting a branch it calls an "engagement center' to address and align all the different ways members want to do business with it.

While much of artificial intelligence technology is about automating tasks, it also holds the possibility of enhancing bankers' ability to serve customers.

Scheduling time for senior executives to visit branches and work alongside staff is a productive and motivating step for all parties involved.