Branch management

Community banks are less likely to close branch locations than their larger counterparts. But those branches should mix technology with the homespun local flavor customers have come to expect.

Online retailers are investing in physical stores to build stronger customer relationships, but banks are reducing their footprints and ignoring opportunities to make customers happy.

Regulatory restrictions on market entry can shield banks for only so long from problems like those faced by traditional retailers. But financial institutions can take these steps to stay competitive in the ever-digital world.

Readers sound off on the use of AI in underwriting, the reasons for the failure of a Milwaukee bank, U.S. banks’ progress in adopting APIs, and more.

Regions Financial is taking steps across its 1,500-branch network to embrace consumers with autism and train its staff to help them. Business development, not just compassion, is part of the motivation.

Credit unions announce a bevy of new leaders among the recent new hires, promotions and appointments.

Wells survived a fierce proxy fight at its annual meeting, but that’s not stopping some key investors — including the California State Teachers' Retirement System and the New York City pension funds — from pressuring the embattled bank to quickly replace most of its directors.

The credit union is the tenth largest in Pennsylvania, serving more than 80,000 members.

While overbooking is a unique issue for the airline industry — and this may be an extreme example — the United episode is a cautionary tale for any service industry, including banking.

The "Citizens Checkup" program to help customers set financial goals has come under fire, but CEO Bruce Van Saun says it is valuable and "here to stay," and that the criticism of it pales in comparison to the Wells Fargo scandal.

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.