When The Financial Brand first ran a story on convicted-bank-robber-turned-branch-security-expert Troy Evans back in November, the article quickly became one of the most popular ever published here.

Now Troy is sharing his knowledge, advice and insights on branch security with readers of The Financial Brand in this 45-minute DVD training video, “Deterring & Responding to Robberies.”

This DVD+CD package includes advice and recommendations on branch security from many different perspectives including Evans, a long time security consultant and law enforcement officer, the CEO of a financial institution as well as a teller.

This will be a valuable training resource for your financial institution for years to come, arming your employees with practical knowledge and tools they can use. Give your employees the ongoing training they need to prevent robberies, aid the in the apprehension of thieves and help recover funds.

About Troy Evans: Troy is a professional speaker and author featured on Good Morning America, CNN, FOX and in The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, The New Yorker and more.  Troy has also written “From Desperation to Dedication: An Ex-Con’s Lessons on Turning Failure into Success.”

Training Program Details:

• Program contains a 45 minute CD/DVD with training materials
• Train your entire staff whenever, wherever
• Quick implementation with every new hire
• Small group settings and set regular re-training schedules
• Save expenses on guest speakers, renting meeting space and time spent out of the office
• Easily incorporate the materials to complement your existing in-house training program

Sections:

• Robbery Prevention: Reducing Your Risk
• Robbery Response: Protecting Customers, Members and Staff
• Robbery Response: Aiding Law Enforcement

Running Time: 45 minutes

Formats: A two-disc DVD and CD set

Price: Normally $399, but available to readers of The Financial Brand for only $299 through Amazon.com.

About the DVD, Joe Ellison, CEO/West Virginia Bankers Association, said, “Our bankers appreciated the practical tips on how to avoid and handle a bank robbery situation. Some of the suggestions were so simple to implement, yet never previously considered as robbery deterrents.”

Umpqua Bank opened what it describes as a “boutique store” last month in Northwest Portland, Oregon. Umpqua calls the 1,385-square-foot store its first “neighborhood store” offering “banking, innovation and a place to connect with the community” to both businesses and the general public.

Umpqua’s says it wants its stores to feel like neighborhood hubs. “Every square inch is maximized to provide personalized, community-focused experiences,” the bank says.

“Similar to cafés and other gathering places, Umpqua’s neighborhood stores provide people with an engaging space to browse local merchandise, shop online, enjoy a cup of coffee and learn about community events and resources — in addition to banking.”

Umpqua Bank’s neighborhood store strategy is designed for stores approximately 1,500 square feet in size which can be built in 45 days, compared to the industry average of 120 days, reducing the bank’s construction costs and building time by more than 50%.

All of Umpqua Bank’s neighborhood stores are fully equipped to offer personal banking, mortgage lending, small business banking and commercial lending.

Umpqua’s neighborhood stores have Discover Walls. These multi-screen displays deliver a choreographed video experience in an interactive, sustainable presentation of products and services. Customers can print and takeaway only the materials they want and need. Umpqua’s neighborhood stores feature electronic bulletin boards providing community information and neighborhood event calendars.

There is access to computer cafés called MyBooth that support community and provide connection to online resources. The stores also incorporate enhanced banking automation technologies, including cash recyclers that maximize space and improve store associate efficiency and security.

For the last 5-6 years, Umpqua’s RETAIL BRANCH concepts have been widely celebrated for challenging conventional banking practices and design. The latest location is one of three equally-notable neighborhood stores Umpqua has in Portland.

Umpqua Bank has 153 branch locations in Oregon, northern California and Washington.

The following is a showcase of breakthrough RETAIL BRANCHES from the financial merchandising experts at Brand Partners.

M&T BANK – BRANDED ATM SURROUND  (BALTIMORE)
This multi-dimensional display incorporates a fresh, new brand identity into the branch. Sheets of acrylic in the brand’s colors layer over a white acrylic backlit shell. Two alcoves house a pair of ATMs. Notice how the use of metal and plastic finishes combine to create a more modern, high-tech impression.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN BANK – BRAND DISPLAY (MONTANA)
You don’t need a lot of fancy materials or complicated hardware to make a dramatic display. Sometimes all it takes is scale. The copy on the display says, “Great things happen when you dream big.” Various “wishes” float in the center: “4×4 Extended Cab Pick-Up,” “Starting Your Own Business,” College Education,” “Mountain Lodge Getaway.”

NATIONAL CITY – ENTRY ZONE (MILWAUKEE)
Giant window clings surround the ground floor level of this National City entrance.

NATIONAL CITY – WINDOW DISPLAY (CHICAGO)
This teaser display says, “On February 9, you can say ‘hello’ to a new way of banking.” Smart marketers make use of their retail window displays.

NATIONAL CITY – WINDOW DISPLAY (CLEVELAND)
Some operations people express concern about blocking windows with clings. “What if we’re robbed?” Surely, without window displays, you may be able to see what direction a robber flees. But you aren’t gaining much for the marketing sacrifice. Here, National City is promoting holiday gift cards, which also helps introduce a seasonal festive element to the branch.

UNIVERSITY CREDIT UNION – TRANSACTION ZONE (MAINE)
Floor and ceiling cues help define spaces. Hard surfaces are used in high-traffic areas, while carpeting is used in “dwell zones,” such as the lounge shown here. An ovular suspended ceiling element hovering over the checkwrite suggests the start of the queue. High ceilings create a more open and inviting feeling. Notice how the soffit behind the teller area is used for merchandising (dimensional lettering).

INTEGRA BANK – STOREFRONT (KENTUCKY)
If you have a lot of windows, you need to give a lot of consideration to how your branch looks from the outside. Does it look clean, simple, professional, inviting? Or does it look dated, conservative, cluttered, boring? The combination of lighting and a consistent application of the brand’s signature blue color creates a clean retail “storefront.”

BOFA – BRAND DISPLAY (NEW YORK)
Layers of suspended acrylic not only communicate messages about the BofA brand, the overall display looks like corporate art. It’s almost a sculpture.

SOVEREIGN BANK – BRANDED MERCHANDISING (BOSTON)
A combination of wood paneling, warm fixtures and a consistent application of the Sovereign color create a comfortable, moderately upscale environment.

SECURITY NATIONAL BANK – BRANCH INTERIOR (SIOUX FALLS)
Circular architectural elements help soften the stiff experience most consumers expect from financial institutions. This branch has a smooth, flowing floor plan that balances the need for both public and private spaces.

WEBSTER BANK – BRAND DISPLAY (CONNECTICUT)
This multi-part display tells Webster’s brand story and presents the bank’s core values. Brushed aluminum, vinyl lettering, dimensional lettering and an acrylic disc.

Reviewed and written by Jeff Stephens, CEO of Creative Brand Communications,
with Jeffry Pilcher, Publisher of TheFinancialBrand.com.

“Visions FCU Rocks.
Where young people
do their banking.”
— Visions FCU
Facebook page

Despite having a branch near Binghamton University, home to over 14,000 students, Visions Federal Credit Union struggled attracting young adults. Over the past few months, the credit union has tried to fix that with its Vision FCU Rocks program. The initiative involves a number of traditional- and non-traditional marketing tactics designed to raise their profile in the student community.

Coinciding with the start of fall term, Visions launched a youth-oriented microsite at VISIONSfcuROCKS.org. The site is geared towards students, taking the unusual approach of promoting financial products at two specific age segments:

• For ages 13-17, the credit union offers Smart Start Loans (to $350), computer loans, auto loans and Youth Visa Credit Cards.
• For ages 18-25, Visions offers auto loans, computers loans, no-fee Mastercards, Student Visa cards and student loans.

Key Question: Why doesn’t Visions promote any checking, savings or other DDAs to either group? Why is it all about loans?

The microsite streams contemporary music tracks while visitors can learn more about the credit union’s various promotions, such as its “BFF Photo Contest.” The current promotion on the VISIONSfcuROCKS.org website invites participants to rewrite the lyrics to “The 12 Days of Christmas.”

VISIONSfcuROCKS.org

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS LYRICS CONTEST
“We’re asking you to come up with some new lyrics to this old song, ones that reflect the things that you really want! Be creative, be cute, and be crazy!”

On the surface, the microsite looks good, but a little digging reveals that it isn’t very robust. Over half of the links open to pages on the main Visions site, which is visually very different. It would be better to have all secondary pages on VISIONSfcuROCKS.org integrated into the microsite to create a more consistent and cohesive online experience.

Social Networking with Gen-Y

“Gen Y is important
to Visions Federal
Credit Union. Visions
offers Gen Y Initiatives.”
– Visions FCU website

As part of its effort to reach Gen-Y, the credit union also created a Facebook page (386 fans) and Twitter stream (182 followers). “These social networking sites are changing the way that our Gen-Y members are doing business,” the credit union says. “Visions has decided to utilize them as a way to communicate with this growing part of our membership.”

You can read the credit union’s entire Gen-Y strategy on the Visions website, where they discuss “social networking,” “financial literacy” and why “Gen-Y is important to Visions.”

A “Gen-Y Friendly Branch”

Visions also expanded with a new branch situated adjacent to University Plaza, an off-campus apartment complex for Binghamton students. The branch interior boasts a contemporary, colorful design, featuring a music café with headsets that hang from the ceiling, free WiFi, bean bag chairs, four full-service ATMs, a community bulletin board and large flat screen TVs broadcasting sports, news, and credit union marketing messages.

CONCEPTUAL RENDERINGS OF THE ‘GEN-Y FRIENDLY’ BRANCH

Visions promoted the new branch on the university’s radio station, distributed invitations in student orientation bags and mailboxes, and even printed custom t-shirts. Back in September, the credit union held a Guitar Hero Tournament at the branch to welcome back Binghamton University students returning for the new semester.

The credit union also partnered with Musicstream LIVE, a service that promotes financial literacy to young adults through live music, to hold a pair of concerts. Concerts held at the university and a local high school drew a combined total of over 1,500 students. Visions emceed the events, and hosted a booth where students could enter to win prizes and get more information about the credit union.

“This program creates awareness in the community that our credit union cares about the future of our young adults and does it in a non-traditional way,” said Jayne Searles, AVP Marketing & Business Development. “Feedback from administrators at both schools was fabulous. They thought it was a unique way to get the message out and a great way to start the school year off for their students.”

BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY FEST 2009
Videos of the Visions-sponsored concerts show the credit union talking a lot about themselves and financial topics. With a strong brand presence at the event (including banners and booths with prize drawings), a one-sentence introduction might have sufficed.

Visions FCU, has over $2 billion in assets and more than 122,000 members, with 23 branches throughout Central New York and Northern Pennsylvania.

———————————————————————————————————————————
About the author: Jeff Stephens is founder and CEO of Creative Brand Communications (CBC), a full-service bank and credit union branding and marketing agency. CBC helps financial institutions find their story, tell it, and most importantly, prove it.

In the weeks leading up to the grand opening of AltaOne Federal Credit Union latest branch, the credit union sent out a street team to conduct random acts of kindness. The hitch? No one knew AltaOne was behind the good deeds. AltaOne waited to uncloak themselves until the night of the grand opening.

For four weeks, the credit union’s street team traveled a 3-mile radius around the new branch location, anonymously conducting “good deeds,” such as paying a family’s dinner bill, or surprising a local fire department with a free lunch. The only information the street team provided was a simple printed card with little more than a web address, GoodDeedsDoneDaily.com.

COMMUNITY PRESENCE
The ‘Good Deeds’ street team in uniform, and wrapped vehicle graphics.

Simon+ Associates, the marketing firm behind the AltaOne promotion believes it is imperative marketers focus less on advertising and more on creative ideas that provoke real interest.

“The promotion was designed as a viral campaign to engage the community and residents on a personal level, while generating increased interest by concealing the client’s name,” the agency said.

The promotional microsite was updated often with the street team’s latest good deeds. Visitors could read about good things the street team had done, and request a good deed for someone else in the community.

All the credit union’s marketing materials included reminders to “check back at the microsite often for the invitation to the ‘big reveal.’”

Three days prior to the grand opening, the credit union used its social media channels and created special printed pieces to invite people to the event.

The Good Deeds Done Daily campaign included a Facebook page, Twitter account under the name @DoGooders, and a YouTube channel. All accounts have been deactivated, and the microsite pulled down, which is a bit disappointing. The credit union did all these good deeds, and now there’s no public record. Even if the site only attracted a handful of visitors after the promo concluded, it feels like a missed opportunity to build goodwill and foster positive brand perceptions.

According to Simon+ Associates, the results of the campaign include:

• 500+ attendees at the grand opening event
• Over 6,000 Unique Hits to MicroSite
• Total new deposits of $1,214,714.24
• ROI of 809.8%

If you like AltaOne’s Good Deeds campaign, check out these other promotions. There are some similar ideas financial marketers might want to explore further:

• Umpqua Bank – “Free Ice Cream Truck”
  The truck is sent to markets where Umpqua is about to open a new branch, giving away ice cream for a few weeks prior to the grand opening. Between the promotional-, PR- and word-of-mouth value, Umpqua gets plenty of mileage out of its truck.
• TD Bank – “Random Acts of Convenience”
  Street teams called “Convenience Crews” conduct “Random Acts of Convenience” in NYC and Philadelphia to announce TD’s takeover of Commerce Bank in that area.
• Servus Credit Union – “Feel Good Ripple”
  This article looks at the recent trend of “pay it forward” promotions sweeping the credit union industry.
• Advantis Credit Union – “Grand Opening Promo”
  This campaign yielded $35 million in deposits and 800 new members. That’s 3 years’ results in 2 days.

MICROSITE
The site (above) shows the invitation to the grand opening after AltaOne revealed its involvement. The two screenshots (below) show how the site looked prior to the reveal. Notice the map showing the route of the ‘Good Deeds’ street team. Total visits: 6,000. Unique visitors: 4,000. Average time on site: about 3 minutes 30 seconds.

DIRECT MAIL
Postcards were mailed within a 2-mile radius of the branch
for four consecutive Mondays before the grand opening event.

TWITTER ACCOUNT
Cleverly named @DoGooders.

FACEBOOK PAGE

PRINT ADS
Newspaper insertions on the four consecutive Sundays before the event.
Inserts were placed in the largest circulating newspaper in the area.

GRAND OPENING EVENT
Tents set up outside the branch to handle additional extra capacity.

[Note: If The Financial Brand covered another industry, we probably wouldn’t spend so much time talking about security. But robbers rob financial institutions because “that’s where the money is.” Security impacts the consumer's experience more so at financial institutions than just about anywhere else (except the airport). So The Financial Brand figured who else would be better to talk to about branch security than a convicted bank robber. Enjoy!]

When you’re in prison, you’ve got plenty of time to learn some things. For instance, guys convicted for armed robbery quickly learn that it’s much smarter to pass notes at banks than hold up a liquor store at gunpoint. Not only will you face a lighter sentence, you don’t have to worry about someone whipping out a shotgun and shooting back.

There’s a lot one can learn about robbing banks when in prison. And who better to learn from than Troy Evans?

“You’ll only get 30-36 months if you use a note,” he says.

Back in 1992, Troy Evans was sentenced to 13 years in the Federal Correctional Complex in Florence, Colorado. He was convicted of multiple bank robberies in three states over six months.

How many banks did he rob?

“More than the five I was convicted of,” Evans admits.

Evans biggest haul: $17,000, when he caught a teller in the middle of a count.

Evans only served seven years of his sentence before being released early, but earned two degrees with a 4.0 GPA during his time.

Since his release, Evans has dedicated himself to helping financial institutions minimize their risk of robbery. Capitalizing on his experiences as a bank robber and his reputation as an ex-con, Evans has forged a successful career as a noted speaker and branch security consultant who’s authored two books.

He has been featured on Good Morning America, CNN, FOX, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, The New Yorker and more. Evans has even published a DVD/CD training tool for financial institutions, Deterring & Responding to Robberies, (which you can order here through Bankerstuff.com).

It may sound a little like the fox guarding the hen house, but Evans has achieved a truly impressive turnaround — something very similar to Frank Abagnale’s story.

A “hello” from staff can mean “goodbye robber”

For research, Evans met and interviewed some 300 convicted bank robbers, and he’s found a lot of common themes. For instance, what’s the one thing robbers are looking for when casing a branch?

“They are always looking for the path of least resistance,” he says.

Evans would always “case the joint,” as he puts it, before the robbery, sometimes 2-3 weeks in advance.

“I’d come in and ask to exchange a $10 bill for a roll of quarters,” he explains. While conducting the transaction, Evans would note how engaged staff were. Were employees paying attention? Did they say hello? Did someone extend a hand and welcome him?

“The last thing a robber wants is for someone to notice them. Someone to look them in the eyes,” he says.

“If anything makes a robber uncomfortable, they’ll move on to another location,” says Evans. “There’s just too many other financial institutions to choose from to bother with the ones who notice and acknowledge you.”

But did they even notice him? Evans apparently had no trouble finding detached and distant employees working at the dozen or so banks (and one credit union) he claims to have robbed.

“That’s why your frontline people are the most precious resource in robbery prevention,” Evans says. “And the #1 priority is to prevent your financial institution from being selected in the first place.”

Indeed what Evans is referring to are the principles behind Operation Safecatch. If staff say hello and acknowledge people as they enter your branches, not only will they be getting great service, staff will be minimizing the risk or robbery.

“There were a couple dozen banks I really wanted to rob,” Evans admits. “But they made their presence known.”

Keep it confidential

Evans says he got the idea to start robbing banks from a girl he was dating. She worked as a teller at a bank, telling him all the ins-and-outs of branch security — bait money, dye packs, policies of compliance, etc.

“I learned that all I had to do was ask,” Evans says. “Employees were told to comply, so if I told them, ‘Don’t give me any bait money,’ they didn’t.”

That’s why Evans recommends financial institutions have all their employees sign non-disclosure agreements.

“They shouldn’t ever discuss anything about security with anyone ever,” Evans cautions.

He recommends you make such a non-disclosure agreement binding beyond employment.

And in case you were wondering, no, Evans never robbed his girlfriend’s bank.

Be alert on Fridays

Evans says robbers believe financial institutions have more money on Fridays for people cashing their paychecks. True or not, it’s the reason he says banks are targeted more frequently on Fridays.

But Evans points out there can be other reasons too. For instance, if the robber has a drug problem (as Evans did), the fear of a weekend without a fix can drive them to find the nerve.

“Usually bank robberies are an act of desperation,” Evans observes. “It’s usually something related to drugs, gambling or debt — maybe foreclosure. They’d rather rob a bank than deal with an ugly weekend.”

Bullet Proof Glass

Evans says he never even considered robbing a branch that had bullet proof (or, more accurately, “bullet resistant”) glass. But, he wonders, “What’s the cost to the financial institution? Aren’t they supposed to be in the ‘people business?’ Isn’t it supposed to be all about ‘building relationships?’ How can you do that behind a two-inch thick glass barrier?”

Suspicious Activities Log

Evans says another way financial institutions can improve branch security is to keep a “Suspicious Activities Log” at each branch. Every teller and every employee is responsible for each other’s safety, so if they’re alert and pay attention, they might notice something that someone else needs to know about on another shift.

“You want employees to know what look for if someone’s been casing the branch,” Evans recommends.

If you do get robbed…

“Stay calm and pay attention,” Evans says. “It’s critical that you notice everything you can about the robber.”

“Look for identifying marks — scars, tattoos,” he recommends. “Pay attention to anything you can use to identify the robber later.”

For instance, Evans points out, “My right ear is larger than my left ear.”

“The more you notice, the better the chances are that the robber gets caught and convicted.”

Immediately following a robbery, Evans strongly urges all employees to sit down and write out every single detail they can recall. He encourages every financial institution to institute this recommendation as policy.

Evans’ Day of Reckoning

One night in 1992, Evans was staying at a hotel in Denver when the hotel’s manager gave him a call.

“This is the front desk,” the man said. “We’re all booked up, so we need you to come down and pay your next night in advance.”

After ignoring the first call, Evans was phoned again with a reminder to come down to the office to pay for his next night.

As Evans walked through the parking lot to the office, he saw a swarm of men armed with automatic weapons. They were coming for him.

How did he get caught? He was ratted out, as the expression goes, by another ex-girlfriend (not the one who was the teller at a bank, a different one). One day after robbing a bank, Evans came home expecting his girlfriend to be at work.

“I walked into the house stuffed with a pile of money, and she wanted to know where it came from,” he says.

He lied about it’s origin, but the girlfriend remained suspicious. Years later when she heard about a bank robbery, details made her recall the mysterious money incident and she immediately suspected Evans. She called the cops, and Evans was nabbed.

“It’s good that they caught me when they did,” Evans confesses. “I was strung out on drugs and in a very dark place. I had been thinking about committing suicide-by-police.”

Fortunately, Evans didn’t have his gun on him at the time of his arrest.

“I never had it loaded anyway,” Evans admits. “It was always just for show.”

It seems that at least once a year, someone somewhere declares that bank branches are dead. The alleged murder weapon? The internet. Despite the fact that such stories are largely based on circumstantial- or anecdotal evidence, they are widely circulated and receive a disproportionate amount of coverage in the media.

This inevitably forces branches into a familiar defensive spotlight — an annual exam, of sorts — where reasoned and rational analysis invariably yields the same diagnosis: branches are still “not dead.” (Monty Python fans can click here.)

“Rumors of the death
of the branch are
greatly exaggerated.”
– New York Times

This year, the event that triggered scrutiny of BRANCH NETWORKs was a story in the Wall Street Journal reporting that BofA was closing 10% of its 6,100 branches. It was later proven that the report was an exaggeration, one person’s liberal interpretation of comments made during a shareholder conference call.

But that didn’t stop the story from spreading like wildfire. All the headlines screamed, “BofA to close 10% of its branches.” People speculated that banks across the country would follow in BofA’s footsteps, closing branches to save money.

Reality Check: As Rob Cox and Antony Currie wrote in the New York Times, “Rumors of the death of the branch are greatly exaggerated.”

“The absolute number of transactions at branches has remained stable while the average number of customer visits at a branch in Europe and the United States rose during the period,” the New York Times piece noted. “A survey by BofA this year of its own branches shows that trend has accelerated.”

“The preference for face-to-face interaction and concerns about online security still give branch banking an edge in collecting and retaining customer deposits,” the authors wrote.

If branches aren’t dead, what are they?

In an article for BAI, Dave Kerstein, explores the question, “Are US Banks Over-Branched?” Kerstein’s conclusion: no.

“For most banks, bank branches are the key distribution channel,” he notes. “And the one most preferred by consumers and small businesses for sales and service despite significant momentum behind internet, mobile and remote banking.”

Among many of the excellent points Kerstein makes about the role and future of branches:

• If you don’t grow your distribution network, you are not likely to grow customers and revenue.
• Bankers in the US, UK, Spain, Sweden and other countries who have tried to pare their BRANCH NETWORKs discover that growth stops.
• You don’t need as many iconic free standing branches. You need more, smaller facilities that serve tighter, more compact trade areas. These facilities need to be built and managed differently.
• More utilization of universal staff, with fewer specialists
• Tighter integration with hub branches or call centers to provide specialized expertise.

Does Kerstein think BofA’s branch closings reflect a change of consumer preferences?

“Most likely not.”

“No doubt there are large percentage which are no longer efficient or effective,” he says. “I suspect this is a straight forward efficiency move, and not the start of a significant industry wide correction in total banking facilities.”

Perhaps what people really mean when they say “branches are dead” is that your traditional branch model must evolve.

“SafeCatch doesn’t put bank employees in danger, but it does empower them to make a potential robber think twice about going through with it,” says Special Agent Larry Carr.

Conventional wisdom in the financial industry regarding how to contend with robberies can be summed up in one word: compliance. Hand over the money and make sure nobody gets hurt. While well intended, the FBI has found this approach may actually be a contributing factor to the number of banks being robbed.

“The expense of integrating SafeCatch into new BRANCH DESIGN is zero.”
– Paul Seibert, EHS Design

But last week, a teller in Seattle chased a would-be robber from the bank, wrestled him to the ground several blocks later and held him there until police came. To some, the teller’s actions were heroic, while others felt he exposed everyone to a ton of risk.

While police and the FBI discourage behavior like the teller’s admittedly instinctive response, the FBI says there is indeed a proactive way for bank employees to be heroes without jeopardizing anyone’s safety. They call it “Safecatch,” where bank employees are trained to spot suspicious behavior and safely take control of the situation before a robbery occurs.

“SafeCatch doesn’t put bank employees in danger, but it does empower them to make a potential robber think twice about going through with it, and if he does, it teaches employees to partner with law enforcement to safely assist in the capture,” says Special Agent Larry Carr, the FBI’s Seattle bank robbery coordinator who created the SafeCatch concept several years ago.

Employees trained in SafeCatch learn to spot “customers” who may be acting nervously or wearing hats or hooded sweatshirts-to shield their faces from security cameras. Before a robbery occurs, employees proactively engage the person.

“Good afternoon!” the employee might say. “I don’t think I’ve seen you in this branch before. If you’re here to open a new account, I can take your ID and help you at my desk.”

That action might be just enough to make the robber head for the door. If the person turns out to be a legitimate customer, Carr said, the only thing the employee has done is offer excellent customer service.

One key piece of the SafeCatch strategy is making sure branch employees — specifically tellers — can keep an eye on people. “Highly trained relationship staff at transaction pods can view members throughout their entry and exit and have a safe way to exit potentially dangerous situations and call 911,” says Paul Seibert, a principal with EHS Design and one of the financial industry’s foremost architects. Seibert helped the FBI’s Carr develop the SafeCatch program.

Since 2006, Carr has provided SafeCatch training to some 40 financial institutions in Washington state — that’s about 400 bank branches and 3,000 employees. Last year, Seattle saw a 51% decrease in the number of bank robberies from its decade average, which is even more impressive considering that in many parts of the country bank robberies are on the rise.

The majority of bank robbers are males acting alone without weapons-they know that using a weapon during a robbery can mean a lot more jail time. The robber typically poses as a customer waiting in line. It’s only when he gets to the teller’s window and makes a demand that he has committed a crime.

“It’s important to catch the guy after his first robbery and before he can strike again,” Carr said. “If we teach strategies that make it possible to safely achieve a police capture, you will see dramatic drop in an area’s bank robbery rate.”

Source: FBI

“When the man came into the bank…dressed in a knit cap on one of the hottest days of the year, Nicholson [a bank teller] says he was immediately uneasy. The suspicious-looking man walked in and out of the bank, then got in the teller line, then stepped out of line.”

This excerpt comes from a Seattle Times story about a teller who was fired for foiling an attempted bank robbery.

Here’s what happened. A would-be robber handed a bag to Jim Nicholson, a two-year teller with KeyBank, and demanded it be filled with money. Nicholson “threw the bag to the floor, lunged toward the robber and demanded to see a weapon. Surprised, the would-be bank robber backed up and then bolted.”

Key Questions: Who demands to have someone shove a gun in their face? Doesn’t Nicholson have a mother/brother/wife/child? And what would have happened if the robber — already irritated by a non-compliant employee — had been forced to brandish his weapon?

Then Nicholson pursued the man for several blocks before knocking him to the ground, holding him until police arrived.

Reality Check: Brave, but foolish.

KeyBank fired Nicholson shortly after.

This situation illustrates a series of intertwined points about service, security and training.

First, when a suspicious person enters your branch, you don’t sit back and wait for them to rob you. In KeyBank’s case, Nicholson had ample cues and more than enough time to intercept the robber before things escalated. What was he waiting for? Instead, Nicholson should have stopped whatever he was doing, walked up to the person, shook his hand and said, “Hello! Welcome to KeyBank. Are you here to open an account, or is there anything else I can help you with today?” As The Financial Brand has previously noted (here, and again here), this completely throws a would-be robber off his M.O.: “Crap! I’ve been noticed. They’re on to me.”

“If a person is a legitimate customer, they will experience superior service,” says FBI Special Agent Larry Carr. “If their intention, however, is to rob the bank, they will experience paranoia, anxiety and a desire to escape.”

Robbers expect to encounter the same level of predictably-indifferent, emotionally-detached service from one financial institution to the next. In fact, they are counting on employees to do exactly what most have been trained to do — acquiesce. But when the situation presents developments that the robber didn’t anticipate, he/she simply doesn’t know how to respond. In fact, it confuses some robbers so much that employees have actually been able to get the potential robber to open an account.

This isn’t a perfect security system; there isn’t such a thing. But for all the security measures financial institutions put in place to mitigate the severity of robberies — cameras, bullet-resistant glass, man traps, dye packs, etc. — it’s completely baffling why more don’t teach this basic robbery prevention technique (PDF).

Have you ever heard of any other security measure that’s so effective it can thwart the same robber twice in one day at two separate banks? What other security measures can you think of that actually stops robberies before they take place?

Bottom Line: The KeyBank brand is suffering a public lynching. The story at The Seattle Times has received over 650 comments, and almost all of them rip into KeyBank harshly. It seems the vigilante in folks — our inner Rambo — wants to root for Nicholson and condemn KeyBank, even though KeyBank’s policy is as straightforward as it is common: they expect staff to comply with robbers’ demands inasmuch as it avoids violent confrontations. In this situation, confrontation wasn’t necessary; it was completely avoidable. For risking the lives of his co-workers, his customers, himself and innocent bystanders on the street, KeyBank was probably right to fire Nicholson. Having service mavericks — like Southwest Airlines does — is one thing, but having security mavericks is another. When it comes to people’s safety, you can’t have employees picking and choosing which rules they should follow.

Key Takeaway: Saying “hi” to suspicious people = security + service. This applies equally to shoplifters and department stores as it does armed gunmen and banks.

KeyBank should teach its tellers what could be done differently — besides just meekly complying with the robber after the robbery is initiated. Unfortunately, the message most KeyBank employees will likely get is “do what you’re told” when given instructions by KeyBank Corporate…or by a robber. If you don’t, you’re fired.

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BofA calls them Heritage Centers. One of them can be found here, online. It includes an interactive time line. The others are located in out there, in the real world: San Francisco, Charlotte, Boston, Los Angeles and Wilmington. A BofA facility in each these five cities is home to a gorgeous, professionally-produced “interactive museum.” The first one opened in Charlotte in January, 2006.

The bank says it created its Heritage Centers so people could “experience our story firsthand through artifacts, documents, illustrations and video.” The Heritage Centers dwell on BofA’s role in the development of industries, infrastructure and various public works projects. Each installation features around 150 artifacts.

BofA’s Heritage Centers are open to the general public. They are also used for new associate orientation, internal associate events, community receptions and various other events.

Online Interactive Timeline

“We want people to come in, hang out, and meet with their friends and clients.”
— Reliant Bank

Reliant Bank has blended a smoothie shop into one of its branches. The bank has put a Maui Wowi franchise inside its Lennox branch, where you can now get tropical fruit smoothies, exotic Kona coffee, muffins and “Go for the Gold” protein bars.

“Banks have a reputation of being stuffy and intimidating,” Brian Shaw, EVP Retail Banking/Reliant, told the Nashville Business Journal. “But we want to create an environment where customers feel comfortable and at home. They can sit at our coffee shop to meet with a friend or even pay their bills at our internet bar.”

The smoothie space is completely apart from the rest of the bank branch, although there is not a physical door to separate the two operations. Guests have to come into the bank to get to the smoothie shop, which also has space for a couple of tables and some stations for a computer and printer.

The arrangement between Reliant and Maui Wowi is proceeding on a trial basis for now. The Maui Wowi franchisee has a 6-month commitment to sublet the space, with the option to renew.

“We want to create an environment where people feel comfortable and offer them a sense of community. Several groups meet here regularly just to socialize and connect,” Kelly Williams, AVP Branch Manger/Reliant, said in an interview.

“There’s a lot to
consider when doing
something like this.”
– Marion Ingram
AVP Marketing
Director/Reliant

“There’s a lot to consider when doing something like this,” Marion Ingram, AVP Marketing Director/Reliant, told The Financial Brand. “It’s important for banks who are interested in doing this to contact their state. Tennessee law wouldn’t allow anything like this, but we were able to push it through — not without holding our breath.”

Not long ago, UNCB tried a similar approach with its Gold Cafe’s in 2006, but retrenched after realizing their design was too much like a café, something that bewildered and confused customers. Considering how Reliant has executed its smoothie strategy — only 10% of the floor plan is dedicated to the smoothie operation — it’s unlikely they’ll encounter the same issues as UNCB.

Reliant Bank, based in Brentwood, Tennessee, was launched back in 2006. Reliant currently has two locations, one main office and the other branch/smoothie shop. The bank is opening four more branches by the end of the year.

Will they put smoothie shops in those locations?

“At this time, we aren’t sure,” said Ingram.

Tip of the Hat: To to folks at Market Insights Insider, who brought this story to The Financial Brand’s attention via Twitter.

How does $35 million in deposits and 800 new members sound? That’s what Advantis Credit Union just did… in two days.

A recent grand opening sales event helped fuel one of the best first quarters ever for Advantis, with membership swelling by more than 4,000 in just the first three months of 2009 — impressive results for a credit union with $700 million in assets and around 40,000 members.

Most financial institutions usually have fairly limp grand openings — tea and cookies with the mayor and maybe a few giveaways. Not Advantis. Together with their ad agency partner Weber Marketing Group, Advantis took the grand opening of it new Orenco Station branch — the credit union’s sixth — very seriously. The campaign’s major components included:

• Offers — 5% 11-month CD up to $50,000, 2% cash back on auto loans and Fusion Checking, a “rewards checking account” that paid 4% (currently 3.5%).
• Major Sweepstakes — Trip to Hawaii.
• Two Day Event — Friday 9-6 and Saturday 10-2. Free food, drinks and “thousands of dollars in instant prize giveaways.”
• Newspaper Ads
• Direct Mail – Targeted to members and non-members. Included “match-and-win” instant prize numbers to help fuel traffic back to the branch.
• Radio Broadcasts — Live from the event to help drive traffic.
• Coordinated Staff/Planning

And here’s the campaign’s scorecard:

• $35 million in new deposits
• 804 new members
• 1,125 visitors attended the two-day event
• 579 11-month promo CDs
• 409 savings accounts with a $694 average balance
• 25% increase in loan volume

This isn’t the first grand opening sales event Weber Marketing Group has produced. They’ve been perfecting their strategy for the better part of a decade. Weber Marketing says branch traffic at these grand openings is phenomenal. Thousands of people show up, and some credit unions have had to hire off-duty policemen to direct traffic on the streets and in the parking lot.

Despite staffing the event with around 20 employees. Advantis didn’t have enough time to get accounts opened for everyone interested in the CD offer. “They had to hand out rain checks and scheduled appointments out for five straight weeks out,” Ruth Kapcia, Advantis Account Manager at Weber Marketing told The Financial Brand.

Location, location, location

“It takes most new branches over 3 years to attain results of this magnitude.”
– Ruth Kapcia
Advantis Account Manager
Weber Marketing

A huge factor in this branch’s success is its location. No matter how good your offers are, you won’t get the big numbers if you have the branch in the wrong spot.

Reality Check: Most credit unions don’t use much more than gut instinct when picking future branch locations.

Many financial institutions think they know where their next branch should go: “Right here, at this busy intersection.” Some credit unions have even used member polls to ask, “Where should we locate our next branch?”

Advantis didn’t use their intuition or rely on their knowledge of the market when locating its latest branch. They partnered with the financial facilities experts at Momentum, who deployed highly sophisticated software that maps out ideal potential locations based on traffic patterns/volumes, proximity to retail centers, density of existing financial providers, residential growth/decline, retail growth/decline, home prices, median income, ratio of owners/renters, etc. It’s called geodemography.

This kind of plan is usually good for around five years out, and can map out where you should put your next X-number of branches. It also looks at your existing BRANCH NETWORK to see which ones might need to relocate or close. Sometimes, a branch only needs to be relocated as little as a 1/4-mile down the road to improve its performance 4-5 fold, which more than compensates for the cost of relocating it.

Momentum also performed an extensive breakeven projection for the brand eight months earlier. “Our process, developed with our partner CEO Advisory Group, creates an ‘eyes-wide-open’ benchmark for management,” Jim Haack, President/Momentum, told The Financial Brand. “We utilize up-to-date market data, demand-side assumptions and expense projections that include both capital investment and operating expenses to yield our performance projections”

“The results at Orenco relative to projections were outstanding, exceeding the first year’s goal during the event,” Haack said.

Bottom Line: The average branch doesn’t usually reach breakeven until around its fifth year, no sooner than the third. By picking the right location and using a robust grand opening sales event, Advantis’s Orenco Station branch will reach profitability 1-3 years sooner. $35 million in deposits for one branch and 10% member growth in one quarter is phenomenal by any measure.

Direct Mail Piece
The front of the DM piece (when folded) is shown above.
The inside of the DM piece is shown below.

Two-Color Print Ad

Weber Marketing Group worked closely with the financial facilities firm
Momentum to create a new, branded branch prototype for Advantis including branch
architecture, interior design and merchandising.

Last year, Forest Kraft Credit Union changed names and became Centric. The credit union was looking to appeal to a broader segment of the community by differentiating themselves in a crowded financial market with a unique name. Furthermore, the credit union wanted to dispel the assumption that it was only open to employees of Forest Kraft. The name change process took over 11 months from conception to official roll out. Now, a year later, the transformation is complete.

Centric contracted with LEVEL⁵ for its strategic consulting, real estate, integrated design, construction management and branding. LEVEL⁵, a consulting and facilities development firm specializing in financial institutions, worked with the credit union on a strategic plan focused on the best opportunities to reflect the credit union’s philosophy, approach and budget.

Centric and LEVEL⁵ also partnered with Sky Design for the rebranding and identity redesign. “It was a collaborative process between all three parties,” Greg Allen, Director of Marketing/LEVEL⁵, told The Financial Brand.

LEVEL⁵ then implemented the new brand into Centric’s branch environments.

The Financial Brand wrote about two other LEVEL⁵ projects last year — one story about Auburn FCU’s brand and branch revamp, and another about a modern BRANCH DESIGN for Delta Community Credit Union.

Centric Credit Union, based in West Monroe, Louisiana, has $83 million in assets and 11,500 members.

Old Name & Logo
Established in 1937 to originally serve the community’s paper mill employees, Forest Kraft expanded to a multi-SEG credit union in 1996 when it merged with a hospital-based credit union.

Centric Name, Logo & Slogan
The name reflects the credit union’s roots serving the lumber industry. The concentric circles of a tree serve as the inspiration for both the name and the logo. Centric’s new slogan is, “Grounded in Tradition. Growing in Opportunity.” In excess of 300 names were evaluated, from which a short list of 20 were picked. Six rose to the top and joined a priority list for the final selection process. There are currently plans to secure a federal trademark on the Centric name.

Dialog Delivery
LEVEL⁵ calls the Centric BRANCH DESIGN a “dialog delivery” layout, something that “enables employees to better serve members and handle transactions in a more retail-oriented environment rather than traditional branches with teller lines.”

New Centric Website

[Note: There is a slide show embedded in this article.]

“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 Future of Branches” is one of four presentations available from ICONiQ that have been built specifically for financial institutions. The other three presentations include “The 7 Deadly Branding Sins,” “Results 2.0,” and “The 11 Cs of Breakthrough Brands.”

Thanks to CUES for hosting the 2009 debut of this presentation.

Columbia Credit Union is just about as green as financial institutions get. They have green business practices, an E-Go Green Auto Loan, a Living Green Mortgage and they have tips for greener living on their website. They even gave away a Mercedes Smart Car last year. So the decision to go green with branches was an easy one for this eco-conscious credit union.

Originally designed to the goal of LEED Silver, Columbia’s first green branch project ultimately attained the higher level LEED Gold certification, making it the first financial institution in Washington state certified at the Gold level.

To meet strict LEED standards, 75% of construction waste must be diverted from landfills. Builders must carefully separate scrap metal, wood and concrete for transport to certified recyclers in the nearby area. Construction sites must also be contained to protect drainage systems from soil runoff. Builders and subcontractors have to review material lists to ensure supplies contain the right percentage of post-consumer recycled content. For example, the recycled metals that makes up the siding on the Washougal branch may have come from recycled soda cans or automobiles.

For the new green branch prototype, Columbia tapped EHS Design and Weber Marketing Group. (Weber Marketing has its own LEED Gold certified headquarters in Seattle.)

The architects and interior designers at EHS Design developed a new green PROTOTYPE BRANCH prototype that leverages several abundant local resources — harvesting rainfall, maximizing natural daylight, and interacting with the temperate climate through auto-sensor controls and operable windows.

Weber Marketing created an “Eco-Tour” of the branch’s green features, where members can read about Columbia’s environmentally-friendly ways at different “stops” throughout the space (see the list of descriptions at the bottom of this article).

Weber Marketing’s financial merchandising team designed features that relied on sustainable hardware, green inks and completely recycled materials. Use of laminates and adhesives was minimized to reduce the impact on the environment. Some displays were made by applying water-based coatings directly to recycled substrates, thus avoiding harmful inks and pulp-based papers.

Columbia COO Steve Kenny says, “We’ve created a healthy environment for our members, a productive atmosphere for staff, and invested in a sustainable future that benefits everyone.”

Columbia expects its green branches will save up to 50% in energy costs along with 13,500 gallons of water every year.

The Washougal branch is just the first of multiple branches to come. Columbia has already completed its second LEED-certified branch.

Here’s an excellent 2-minute video detailing Columbia’s green branch prototype.

“Iconic Pyramid Skylight”
A skylight lets in natural sunlight, reducing the need for interior lighting.  It’s always a good idea to have signature architectural elements incorporated into the design of your branch exteriors.

“Porous concrete”
Porous concrete in the parking lot aids proper drainage of the site prevents runoff from contaminating local bodies of water.

“Rainwater recycling”
A cistern harvests rainwater for landscape irrigation and non-potable plumbing indoor use. This reduces the need for public water and lowers monthly water bills.

“Native plants and local materials”
Native landscaping requires less frequent irrigation and fertilization. Stonework came from local quarries, requiring less energy to get to the construction site.

“The right stuff”
All wood was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, ensuring it was harvested in a way that protects the environment. FSC-certified lumber is used throughout the building.

“Fresh air”
Vented windows provide natural ventilation, reducing the need for air conditioning and the amount of energy used during warmer days.

“A bright idea”
Auto-dimming lights cut electricity use. Dimmers and compact fluorescent lighting (CFLs) drastically reduce the need for electricity. Columbia also purchases 100% of its energy from the local public utility’s‘Green Lights’ program, which supports the development of renewable energy.

“Breathe easy”
Ensuring excellent indoor air quality is a key component of LEED certification. Paint, flooring and other finishes and materials should emit no- or low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can irritate the eyes and respiratory system.

“Recycled and sustainable furniture”
A table in the waiting area was made of lumber salvaged from urban parks and neighborhoods. Lounge chairs feature 100% post-industrial recycled fabric. Guest chairs were made from recycled seat belts. The staff’s furniture system is up to 69% recyclable at the end of its useful life. Most of the furniture was certified by Greenguard, ensuring high standards for indoor air quality.

“Corn cubes”
The fabric on workstation panels comes from 100% renewable, corn-based fiber, making the fabric completely biodegradable. It’s naturally stain resistant, and it doesn’t hold odors. When finished with it, the fabric can be completely composted in just three days.

“Sustainable casework”
Casework features Kirei board made from the leftover stalks of Sorghum plants, a food crop grown around the world. Other parts of the casework were made from wood industry waste and recycled wood fibers.