Bank of America employees have returned or are making their way back in the coming weeks based on their region’s COVID-19 data and medical guidelines, according to people with knowledge of the plans.

The number of U.S. bank branches dropped by a record 2,927 last year as lenders both large and small sought ways to cut costs and keep pace with a digital transformation sweeping the finance industry.

Citigroup said 99% of its U.S. employees have complied with its vaccine mandate, one of the strictest on Wall Street. 

Citigroup as the first major Wall Street bank to impose a strict COVID-19 vaccine mandate: Get a shot or face termination. With its deadline fast approaching, the company is preparing for action.

Bank of America is donating $100 to local food banks and hunger-relief organizations for employees who register their COVID-19 booster.

The last three months of 2021 were strong for most lenders, which will report results soon. But the outlook for the coming months has been clouded by the spread of the newest coronavirus variant, which has many banks grappling with staffing shortages and branch restrictions.

American Express will give employees two weeks’ notice before it starts bringing a larger number of staffers back to its offices. The credit card giant had previously said it intended to start bringing back employees on Jan. 24.

Wall Street’s push to refill office towers across the country has been derailed again. This time it’s the highly transmissible omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus that’s forced executives to rethink their plans.