A lot of folks are asking me whether I’m really saying that banks need to start all over again? Is that really feasible, Chris? How can you recommend that we tear down the house and rebuild it? Well, there are a lot of reasons I can say this, and believe it.

Digital shopping now influences roughly 80% of the origination stream for new consumer checking relationships, yet 90% of new-to-bank checking accounts are still opened in the branch.

In the Bourne series by Robert Ludlum, Jason Bourne, the main character, is a highly trained (or mentally programmed) assassin for the United States who was highly successful at taking out targets.

The millennial generation, those people born roughly between 1982 and 2000, is by many accounts the fastest-growing generation ever.

Bankers and their boards have been thinking about their plans for the branch of the future for several years.

At the recent Lendit conference focused on “alternative lending,” keynote speaker Larry Summers, the former Secretary of Treasury, said that he would not be surprised if within ten years alternative finance companies (AFCs) generated 75% of “non-subsidized” (non-Small Business Administration) small business loans and 30% to 40% of direct consumer lending.

In the wake of the popularity of the American Sniper movie, it might be helpful for bankers to think of product development in terms of some key lessons learned from special operations warfare.

Almost every bank either operates its own contact, or call, center or commissions a third party to do so.

Improving the customer experience using integrated real estate, operations and technology strategies can make a branch network highly profitable.

Since its introduction in the 1960s, the ATM has evolved to become an integral part of day-to-day life.

Deposit pricing is challenging because it involves making assumptions about tomorrow.

JPMorgan Chase recently held their investor day and grabbed some of the fintech headlines when they stated that Apple Pay has been activated by over a million cardholders since its launch in the U.

It’s not a stretch to say the typical experience for a customer getting a consumer loan through their trusted community bank is only slightly more appealing than working with the sleazy finance desk at the local car dealership.

When customer loyalty is tenuous, as it is today in banking, selling is especially challenging and requires more sophisticated approaches involving both management and sales staff.

For years banks have recognized that the small business market represents significant opportunity to drive both balance sheet and earnings growth.

While mobile banking for consumers has become common, businesses are now demanding mobile banking services as well.

For all that has been written about branches succumbing to the digital onslaught, it seems clear that banks will be clinging to the majority of their street corner outlets for some time to come.

In a recent article for BAI Banking Strategies, I broached a theory that deposit rates start rising prior to an anticipated increase in the Fed funds rate because of our tendency to try to outdo the competition.

What’s a key advantage digital businesses have over banks? Customer focus is designed into their business models from day one.

What to do about low-volume branches, or LVBs, which weigh down the profitability of nearly every financial institution? We define these underperformers as branches that process fewer than 3,000 transactions per month.