The Future of Branches

The Future Of Branches

View more presentations from Jeffry Pilcher.

“The Future of Branches” is another presentation by Jeffry Pilcher, Publisher of The Financial Brand and President/ICONiQ. It takes a look at trends in retail branch design, and examines the best practices for engineering a branded financial environment. The presentation features 50 photos and dozens of examples.

Here’s a summary of the main points.
- With your next branch, be deliberate, strategic and intentional.
- Don’t just do “what you’ve always done.”
- You need to build your branch around interactions, not transactions.
- Think like a retailer. Move from “fortresses” to “stores.”
- Cross-sell your financial products and services.
- Think in terms of retail zones. Create retail destinations.
- Create brand theater.
- Have a retail street presence.
- You can create a secure environment without compromising your retail focus… and without turning into Fort Knox.
- Make it enjoyable.
- Make it memorable.
- Differentiate.

The Idea is merely not about designing the brick yet also the social interaction of Customers get by going into branches. Staff are also the most important aspect of the in-branch experience (see slide 11).

The presentation was focused on design, as promised in the presentation’s title, “The Future of Branches - Trends in Retail Financial Branch Design.” And there were a number of tips in the presentation about how to use branch design to maximize sales. It was also pointed out that the examples included in the presentation aren’t necessarily recommendations. They are used for illustrative purposes only. Many are included simply to show extremes. And some are examples of what not to do (such as UNCB’s Starbucks-style “Gold Cafe”).

The presentation was never designed to be an all-encompassing exploration of branches. The Author, packed what he could into this webinar (which was intentionally built to be visually-based).

Stay tuned for Issues concerning staff and the strategic role/purpose of branches, which hopefully shall be considered by the Author for future “Future of Branches” presentations.

Source : http://thefinancialbrand.com/2009/05/14/the-future-of-branches/

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GLOBAL FINANCE WORLD'S 50 SAFEST BANKS

New York, February 25, 2009

 

Such has been the turmoil in the world's banking industry that, for the first time, Global Finance magazine is publishing a mid-year update of its muchrespected Safest Banks listing. A full report on the list will appear in the April issue of Global Finance. The "World's 50 Safest Banks" 2009 were selected through a comparison of the long-term credit ratings and total assets of the 500 largest banks around the world. Ratings from Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch were used.

Global Finance has published its "World's Safest Banks" listing for 17 years and this ranking has become a recognized and trusted standard of creditworthiness for the entire financial world. "The rating agencies have determined these banks have demonstrated a more prudent and sustainable approach to risk than their peers," says Global Finance publisher Joseph D. Giarraputo. "More than ever customers all around the world are viewing long term creditworthiness as the key feature of the banks with which they do business."

Global FInance, which celebrates its 22nd year of publishing in 2009, has 50,000 subscribers and more than 180,000 readers in over 158 countries. This audience includes chairmen, presidents, CEOs, CFOs, treasurers, and other financial officers responsible for making investments and strategic business decisions for large global companies and financial institutions. Global Finance also targets the 8,000 key portfolio investors who control over 80% of all assets under professional management.

For editorial information please contact:

Dan Keeler, Editor, phone: +1 212 447 7900 ext 232, email: dan@gfmag.com

GLOBAL FINANCE WORLD'S 50 SAFEST BANKS

1. KfW - Germany
2. Caisse des Depots et Consignations (CDC)- France
3. Bank Nederlands Gemeenten (BNG)- Netherlands
4. Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank - Germany
5. Rabobank - Netherlands
6. Landeskreditbank Baden-Wuerttemberg-Foerderbank - Germany
7. NRW. Bank - Germany
8. BNP Paribas - France
9. Banco Santander - Spain
10. Royal Bank of Canada - Canada
11. National Australia Bank - Australia
12. Commonwealth Bank of Australia - Australia
13. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) - Spain
14. Toronto-Dominion Bank - Canada
15. Australia & New Zealand Banking Group - Australia
16. Westpac Banking Corporation - Australia
17. Banco Espanol de Credito S.A. (Banesto) - Spain
18. ASB Bank Limited - New Zealand
19. HSBC - United Kingdom
20. Credit Agricole - France
21. Wells Fargo - United States
22. Nordea Bank - Sweden
23. Scotiabank - Canada
24. La Caixa - Spain
25. Svenska Handelsbanken - Sweden
26. US Bancorp - United States
27. Banco Popular Espanol - Spain
28. DBS Bank - Singapore
29. Pohjola Bank - Finland
30. Deutsche Bank - Germany
31. Société Générale - France
32. Intesa Sanpaolo - Italy
33. Bank of Montreal - Canada
34. DnB NOR Bank - Norway
35. The Bank of New York Mellon - United States
36. Caixa Geral de Depositos - Portugal
37. United Overseas Bank - Singapore
38. OCBC - Singapore
39. Axa Bank Europe - Belgium
40. Credit Suisse Group - Switzerland
41. Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg - Germany
42. Nationwide Building Society - United Kingdom
43. CIBC - Canada
44. National Bank Of Kuwait - Kuwait
45. Barclays - United Kingdom
46. UBS - Switzerland
47. JPMorgan Chase - United States
48. Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ - Japan
49. Banque Federative du Credit Mutuel (BFCM) - France
50. Credit Industriel et Commercial (CIC) - France
    

Source : Global Finance magazine February 25, 2009