Adrenaline’s Gina Bleedorn Featured in Financial Brand Article on Wave of New Bank Branches

Company’s President & CEO tapped for branching expertise as Chase, Bank of America, PNC, and Frost announce plans to expand their branch presence across the country

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 – A new wave of branches announced by national and regional banks has the banking industry abuzz about a revived commitment to the branch banking channel. “In the space of eight days in February, JPMorgan Chase announced plans to open yet another 500 new branches and renovate approximately 1,700 locations over the next three years,” according to the Financial Brand. “While super-regional PNC Financial Services Group said it would build 100 new branches and renovate 1,200 branches – about half of its network – over the same period.”

This renewed focus on the branch doesn’t come as a surprise to key industry experts. “I think what you’re seeing is some gravity, the fundamentals of banking, coming back,” according to Michael Abbott, senior managing director and global banking lead at Accenture, an organization that conducts the massive Global Banking Survey of 40,000+ consumers. Gina Bleedorn, president and CEO at brand experience company Adrenaline, says, “We’re human and that’s ultimately what keeps us coming back and why human presence in banking matters.”

As digital banking has become expected – or “table stakes” according to the experts Financial Brand interviewed – the branch remains a vital locus of banking activity. The expansion plans are one thing, but Gina says Chase and PNC in particular are “huge moves,” since they deepen spending to update existing locations, in addition to new ones. She says that’s the same smart reinvestment strategy that smaller community financial institutions use to leverage their localization as an advantage. “They are engaging in branch optimization decisions so they can use the savings to fund new market entry, market penetration and growth.”  

To learn more about network transformation strategies for your bank or credit union, or to speak with one of Adrenaline’s brand experience experts, contact us today.

Adrenaline is an end-to-end brand experience company serving the financial industry. We move brands and businesses ahead by delivering on every aspect of their experience across digital and physical channels, from strategy through implementation. We create brands people love and engage audiences with story-led design and insights-driven marketing; and we design and build transformative brand experiences across branch networks, leading the construction of physical spaces that drive business advantage and make the brand experience real.