Credible borrowers are prepared borrowers, says Duane Pelkey, vice president of Community Bank N.A., a registered bank holding company based in DeWitt, N.Y., with $4.8 billion in assets and 140 customer branches.
RBS says it is refocusing resources on "things that matter most" to customers with branch refurbishments and investment in mobile and online services.
The eventual goal is 6,000 customers per branch, and if Commerzbank can do it without losing customers, the current moneylosing network should have a cost-to-income ratio of 75% and an aftertax ROE of 10.5%.
A recent tour of four branches in three boroughs showed that, to some customers, the branches are a place to repair, to serve their gambling addiction.
Even before the increased threat of bodily harm to customers in branches, Ms. Maor was encouraging electronic banking: only 37percentt of consumer transactions with Leumi are handled through the branch system.
Despite those snaking queues, customers with branch-based accounts were stickier than many others.
While TSB is targeting current account customers, the branches being sold off by RBS are linked to small business customers.
It has 13m customers, 500 branches, a strong franchise in the manufacturing hub near Hong Kong and a national licence that could permit years of formidable growth.
The combined bank will have assets of $321 billion, 19 million customers, 2,900 branches, 600 brokerage offices and 90,000 employees from Connecticut to Florida; it will be called Wachovia.
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