American Banker

OCTOBER 4, 2016

Wells Fargo Chief Executive John Stumpf may get a third grilling by lawmakers over the fake account scandal that continues to embroil the San Francisco bank.

San Francisco 47

San Francisco Branch Strategies Regional National 47

American Banker

OCTOBER 4, 2016

has agreed to buy a pair of branches from Pacific Western Bank in Beverly Hills, Calif. First Foundation in Irvine, Calif.,

Branch Strategies 48

Branch Strategies CA Community Bank Regional 48

American Banker

NOVEMBER 3, 2016

Two top executives said the scandal-plagued bank has managed to minimize the financial damage and can continue to grow amid some reforms. Yet they acknowledged that the full toll has yet to be realized, and the company announced it had significantly raised its estimated legal exposure.

Management 28

Management Company Branch Strategies Regional 28

American Banker

OCTOBER 19, 2016

Cross-selling abuses are not systemic and honest bankers are still important to society, the head of the Minneapolis bank said in an apparent reference to the scandal at Wells Fargo.

Minneapolis 28

Minneapolis System Branch Strategies Regional 28

American Banker

OCTOBER 17, 2016

Strong growth in deposits and mobile users at Bank of America, together with questions tied to the phony account scandal at Wells Fargo, had B of A executives addressing whether their bank and others would be better off than ever by scaling back branches.

America 28

America Mobile Branch Strategies Regional 28

American Banker

OCTOBER 14, 2016

Apart from the usual queries about prospects for loan growth and strategies for controlling costs, bank executives better be prepared this earnings season for probing questions about in-branch sales practices and how they are compensating front-line employees.

Strategy 28

Strategy Branch Strategies Regional National 28

American Banker

OCTOBER 14, 2016

Wells Fargo’s freshly installed CEO made clear Friday that he wants to chart a new course following the revelation that thousands of employees opened phony accounts. But Tim Sloan made few promises about what the megabank will eventually look like.

Strategy 28

Strategy Course Branch Strategies Regional 28

American Banker

JANUARY 2, 2017

The phony-account scandal at Wells Fargo illustrates how sales quotas can incent bad behavior. Is your bank effectively mitigating the risk of 'managing to metrics'? Or could it be in danger of becoming a 'cargo cult'?

Management 43

Management Branch Strategies CA Community Bank 43

American Banker

JUNE 27, 2016

Is being customer-centric a goal at your bank? You’ll need to master these five practices to align employee behavior with your desire to improve the customer experience.

Customer Experience 45

Customer Experience Branch Strategies Regional National 45

American Banker

DECEMBER 19, 2016

Longtime CEO Richard Kovacevich retired from Wells Fargo almost a decade ago, but understanding the scandal that has engulfed the bank requires a close look at the cross-selling mindset that he left for his successors. It was a culture in which the sales often justified the means.

Branch Strategies 28

Branch Strategies Regional National Strategy 28

American Banker

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Pretty rare, it turns out: Less than a third of executives surveyed by SourceMedia Research said their institutions set formal cross-selling targets for staff. And of those with cross-sale incentive programs, nearly half are reconsidering.

Survey 28

Survey Branch Strategies Regional National 28

American Banker

DECEMBER 12, 2016

The focus of banks' sales practices should be less about unit-based incentives, and more about developing a full relationship with customers and doing what's in their best interest.

Branch Strategies 28

Branch Strategies Community Bank Regional National 28

American Banker

NOVEMBER 29, 2016

For its commitment to improving the long-term health of depositors, and a nimble, failure-is-not-a-dirty-word approach to innovation, USAA has earned an honor American Banker normally bestows on a single individual.

Innovation 28

Innovation Branch Strategies Regional National 28

American Banker

NOVEMBER 3, 2016

In her first major presentation as Wells Fargo's head of retail banking, Mary Mack took on the doubters, making the case for why she is the best fit to lead the embattled retail unit. She laid out plans to revamp compensation and internal culture.

Retail 28

Retail Mobile Branch Strategies Regional 28

American Banker

OCTOBER 25, 2016

CEO Tim Sloan said senior executives made a series of mistakes in response to the phony account scandal, including placing too much of the blame on branch employees.

Branch Strategies 28

Branch Strategies Regional National Strategy 28

American Banker

OCTOBER 25, 2016

CEO Tim Sloan said senior executives made a series of mistakes in response to the phony account scandal, including placing too much of the blame on branch employees.

Branch Strategies 28

Branch Strategies Regional National Strategy 28

American Banker

OCTOBER 13, 2016

Some analysts are suggesting Wells Fargo should start closing branches, in order to move beyond the phony-accounts scandal, make up for an expected drop in fee income from reduced cross-selling — and position itself for a digital future.

Branch Strategies 28

Branch Strategies Regional National Strategy 28

American Banker

OCTOBER 11, 2016

The Wells Fargo scandal has given cross-selling a bad name, but experts say that, done right, it is a crucial revenue driver in this era of razor-thin net interest margins. Their advice: Only sell products that customers need and compensate employees for retaining customers, not simply opening accounts.

Branch Strategies 28

Branch Strategies Regional National Strategy 28

American Banker

SEPTEMBER 20, 2016

John Stumpf may have hoped that Tuesday's hearing on Capitol Hill would mark a key turning point in Wells Fargo's blossoming scandal, but his harsh questioning by lawmakers — and his struggle to answer many of their questions — suggests that the embattled megabank's problems are just beginning.

Branch Strategies 28

Branch Strategies Regional National Strategy 28

American Banker

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

A union-led coalition is seizing the opportunity presented by the firing of 5,300 workers at Wells Fargo to call for higher pay and better working conditions for branch employees.

Branch Strategies 28

Branch Strategies Regional National Strategy 28

American Banker

MAY 25, 2016

The company, which has closed a fifth of its branches in recent years, hopes underbanked clients will boost traffic at its remaining locations. TCF Financial in Minnesota has launched a set of products targeting low-income customers.

Minnesota 39

Minnesota Company Branch Strategies Community Bank 39

American Banker

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

John Stumpf was coasting toward a carefully planned retirement. But the outcry over sham accounts at the San Francisco bank has put him in a precarious position as he testifies in front of Congress next week.

San Francisco 28

San Francisco Branch Strategies Regional National 28

American Banker

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016

Under pressure from regulators and investors, banks that tout their sales cultures may have no choice but to follow Wells' lead and stop rewarding branch employees for hitting sales targets.

Regulation 28

Regulation Branch Strategies Regional National 28

American Banker

SEPTEMBER 12, 2016

The $222 billion-asset company has not yet publicly stated the number of branches or markets to be affected, but it "would be closing and consolidating some branches in early December," BB&T spokesman David White on Monday.

Marketing 28

Marketing Company Branch Strategies Regional 28

American Banker

SEPTEMBER 12, 2016

Years of branch closures and job cuts are paying off for banks in the form of much-improved efficiency ratios. But with low interest rates still crimping profits, banks remain under pressure to continue reducing expenses.

Branch Strategies 28

Branch Strategies Community Bank Regional National 28

American Banker

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

Under pressure from regulators and consumer advocates, brick-and-mortar banks are now offering overdraft-free accounts. But online-only and community banks still have them beat as the type and number of fees associated with big-bank checking have multiplied.

Community Bank 28

Community Bank Community Regulation Online 28

American Banker

AUGUST 21, 2016

Bancorp is the latest big bank to offer an overdraft-free account. Skeptics are questioning how many Americans are benefiting from these products, and want banks to do more to market them.

Marketing 28

Marketing Branch Strategies FDIC Regional 28

American Banker

AUGUST 16, 2016

Citigroup lost a big technology executive last week and hired another from JPMorgan Chase. Then word surfaced that JPMorgan had decided to replace that exec anyway and a successor was ready to go. It all shows scoring top digital talent has become vital to the largest banks as mobile becomes their future.

Digital Banking 28

Digital Banking Mobile Technology Branch Strategies 28

American Banker

MAY 19, 2016

TD Bank announced Thursday that is doing away with the Penny Arcade coin-counting machines that are stationed in more than 1,000 of its branches along the East Coast.

Branch Strategies 37

Branch Strategies NJ Regional National 37

American Banker

SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

The scorcher at Wells is giving some community bankers an opening to differentiate themselves from larger institutions that seem fee-dependent or "too big to manage.".

Community 28

Community Management Branch Strategies Community Bank 28

American Banker

JULY 12, 2016

But the plan will only amount to a small fraction of JPMorgan's total expenses, and it has been cutting jobs and the branches where many of these employees tend to work. JPMorgan Chase plans to increase its minimum wage and provide training to tellers.

Training 28

Training Branch Strategies Regional National 28

American Banker

OCTOBER 14, 2016

JPMorgan Chase is conducting a "deep dive" investigation into its cross-selling practices, in light of the fallout from the phony account scandal at Wells Fargo.

Branch Strategies 28

Branch Strategies Regional National Strategy 28

American Banker

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016

Fifth Third Bancorp said Tuesday that it plans to close 44 branches, a cost-cutting move that follows its recent shutdown of more than 100 branches.

Branch Strategies 28

Branch Strategies Regional National Strategy 28

American Banker

JUNE 3, 2016

The bank, which operates in 12 states, is bringing customers in the door even as it cuts its retail square footage by half. The offer of a financial "checkup" that tens of thousands of people have accepted.

Retail 28

Retail Operations Branch Strategies Regional 28

American Banker

NOVEMBER 14, 2016

The same incentives structure that encouraged bad behavior at the bank can be blamed for ethical mishaps in other industries as well as the government.

Industry 28

Industry Branch Strategies Regional National 28

American Banker

NOVEMBER 17, 2016

Wells Fargo is continuing to sustain damage from the phony-accounts scandal that emerged in early September, according to new data published Thursday.

Data 28

Data Branch Strategies Regional National 28

American Banker

JULY 11, 2016

The combination of smarter consumers and likely CFPB action have, oddly enough, pushed banks, especially large ones, to raise overdraft fees in recent months.

Branch Strategies 28

Branch Strategies Regional National Strategy 28