by Terence Roche, a principal with Cornerstone Advisors, Inc.

Even in the face of growing customer use of self-service channels such as Internet banking and the telephone, and despite the “branches are obsolete” sentiment voiced during the dot.com boom, financial institutions are making a bigger bet on branches than ever. In fact, according to FDIC statistics, 10,700 new bank branches opened between 2004 and 2006—an increase of 14%. Even when you consider that many of those might be smaller in-store locations, this represents a significant outlay of people and capital. More >

The Seattle Bank Accepts More Eligible Collateral! At the Seattle Bank, we are continuously looking for opportunities to improve service and make borrowing simpler and more convenient for our members. Over the past year, we have made a number of changes that have streamlined our credit and collateral procedures—and that have allowed our members to pledge more types of collateral. We have shared these changes with you as they occurred, but thought it might be helpful to summarize them for your easy reference to help you maximize the benefits of your membership in the Seattle Bank. More >

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