MT. PROSPECT, Ill.—Research highlighted in a new report by the FDIC has found that brick-and-mortar bank branches remain prevalent in today’s financial services industry.
Data highlighted in the report also provides a “testament to the enduring value of physical access to banking services,” despite the growth of digital and self-service channels.
In its analysis, Cummins Allison, a provider of check, currency and coin handling solutions, as well as ATMs, is pointing to what it called three key insights from the FDIC report:
- Physical branches have staying power. The report points out that while the rise of alternative banking methods have reduced customer’s day-to-day dependence on physical branches, more than 6,000 financial institutions continue to operate 94,725 brick-and-mortar branches. And, although the number of branches has fallen 4.8% since 2009, there are more banking offices per capita than in 1970, when many of today’s alternative banking methods did not exist or were not widely available.
- Customers value personal interactions. The study cites data from the 2013 FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, which indicates that visiting a teller remains the most common way for households to access their accounts. Among account holders that do prefer online or mobile banking, most report also visiting tellers to access their accounts. In fact, 48% of people ages 18-49 visited a bank or credit union branch on a weekly basis. This data indicates that most customers place value on the physical bank branch as part of a “diverse suite of retail banking options.”
- Technology is not a substitute for branch offices. As the report indicates, although mobile banking would appear to be an appealing substitute for branch visits, it remains one of the least common ways for consumers to access their accounts. Customers continue to value the personal service and relationship banking that can only be delivered via brick-and-mortar branches.