Here are recent stories of interest from around the web.
Click on the hotlinked headlines to read more.

Who’s next to get gobbled up?

This guy forecasted the takeover of National City, and BINGO! He nailed it. Guess who else he picked? Keycorp and Fifth Third, although he also thinks Fifth Third might be in a position to take over Key Corp. If not Fifth Third, then US Bank. Maybe US Bank should swallow Fifth Third while Fifth Third is gobbling Keycorp. Sounds like the best way to maximize bailout subsidies.

575 branches get new TD signs

The original plan was to change the signs to “TD Commerce” following last year’s merger between TD Banknorth and Commerce. But due to unexpected trademark problems including a lawsuit from another Commerce Bank, the newlyweds had to scrap their plans and go with just plain old “TD.” At a cost of about $20,000 per branch, that’s about $11.5 million. Ouch! Now, what do about the signs on TD Banknorth Garden… There is a bright side to the story: The bank completed the sign swap on all 575 branches in only five days (October 31 - November 4).

Grade-A prime media placement

Arizona State CU had the only full page ad in the A-section of the Arizona Republic on election day. 22 pages in the A-section, and theirs was the only ad. It was on the back page. Paul Stull, the credit union’s VP/Mktg. said the paper sold out that day. How cool is that? (You can click on the ad to enlarge it.)

ATM network saves CU members $20 million

The Credit Union 24 ATM network says credit union members saved $20 million in fees so far this year by using its 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs nationwide. At an average fee of $1.50, that means there were 13 million ATM transactions, or an average of 266 transactions per ATM for the year (that’s about one transaction per ATM per day). Kudos to the Credit Union 24 network for not dinging members with fees. Now, can we maybe freshen up the logo a little?

The biggest collection of bank logos ever

This guy’s online collection of bank logos must be a real labor of love. He says he’s uploaded about half of the 5,000 bank logos he has on file. Unfortunately, the library only gets to “E” in its alphabetical listing before the HTML crashes. Doh, FAIL!

Here are this week’s stories of interest from around the web.
Click hotlinks for the complete story.

Way2Save: Wachovia’s “rounded savings” program yields over 1,000,000 accounts

Grow Green: Wachovia creates two LEED prototypes for future expansion

Marketing Anatomy 101: A look at How CitizensBank does it

Big Yawn: Who said banking needs to be boring?

Rising Stars: Citi cultivates sponsorships with sports stars of tomorrow

Who Needs This??? Bank introduces ATMs that spit out coins

Filene just released an interesting study called “Who’s Joining Credit Unions.” Of particular interest is data that suggests a paradox between how people feel about branches and how they actually use them.

While credit union members think they need a branch nearby, the data tells a different story. According to the report, the majority of credit union members use a branch once a month or less.

Despite their low usage of branches, they want more of them. When asked what would improve their experience with their credit union, members’ #1 answer was “More ATMs.” The #2 answer: “More branches.”

Key Question: What the heck is going on here?

Branch and ATM convenience can’t be the only way to win deposits…can it?

Do people only want the perception of convenience?

To take a trip to a branch once a month (or less) doesn’t seem like that big an ordeal, even if it’s over five miles. There are plenty of people who drive further than that to go to Home Depot or Costco once a month. Heck, there are plenty of folks who drive five or more miles to get a coffee from Starbucks.

Key Question: Does branch and ATM convenience apply to people looking for loans? Or does it only apply to depositors and transactors?

Perhaps the problem lies in the type of question we — as financial researchers — pose to people. Give them a choice and they seem to say, “Hey, it doesn’t cost me any money when you build more branches, so go for it. Give me some more.”

What do you think? What’s going on here? Can you explain it?

Key Takeaway: If you don’t have a large branch presence — and most financial institutions don’t — your marketing needs to stress your delivery-channel alternatives to branches and ATMs.

Other insights from the Filene report:

• Credit unions look to have the most success targeting families with household incomes between $70,000 and $130,000.
• Friends and family continue to be the #1 way in which people hear about a credit union. Essentially, one-if-three new members come from the referral of a friend of family member.
• For credit unions with an open charter, one-in-16 new members are enticed by a newspaper ad. Around one-in-ten people learn about their credit union by driving by. One-in-100 come from the internet.

You can download the entire report from Filene here (registration required).

Netbanker: Only 263 daily users of Facebook for financial purposes

It’s Just Business: Credit unions chisel away at bank’s dominance of business lending

Dig This: Gonzobanker tells you why your financial brand needs ‘diggers’

Chuck Talks: Schwab’s “It’s People’s Money” campaign addresses dour economy

He’s With Me: Wachovia reassures customers as it phases out ‘A.G. Edwards’ name

Hoopty Love: An unusual auto loan promotion grows bigger

Getting Hits: Why you need a Wikipedia entry and how to go about it

Hi, My Name Is: ‘RidgeWorth Capital’ becomes new name of SunTrust unit

Third Time for Charms: Bellco CU sponsors huge St. Paddy’s Day parade for 3rd year

Book ‘Em: A Canadian CU writes a book for members on maximizing charitable donations

Bad Sign: City council vetoes one CU’s plans for a really big sign with its new logo

Chasing ATMs: Gas station franchise sells ATM branding rights to Chase

SignING Off: ING email to customers signed by ‘The CEO of Saving’