One ironic effect from the COVID-19 pandemic was that banks and credit unions, which historically forbade customers from wearing masks in their branches for security reasons, started requiring them.
On April 3, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began recommending wearing masks in public to prevent the spread of the virus. This week marks the three-year anniversary of that guidance. And while face coverings are no longer necessary for consumers to enter a branch, the days of being prohibited from wearing them are probably gone, bank and credit union CEOs said.
"We do maintain signage on our doors that members are welcome to wear [masks] if they wish, but are not mandated to do so to enter," said Tom Brennan, the chief marketing officer at $779 million-asset Erie Federal Credit Union in Pennsylvania.
And although the number of members who choose to wear a mask is small, the credit union has a
"In terms of how we view it as a potential safety or security concern, we can and have asked members to remove or pull down their mask so we can identify them," Brennan said. "But we don't have a heightened fear. The amount of members who mask up is low as compared to a year ago."
Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks in June 2020 said there was a "very real risk of increases in bank robberies" because of a
Bank and credit union robberies had been on the decline for several years leading up to the pandemic, which likely only accelerated this trend. There were 2,405 robberies in 2019, 1,500 in 2020 and 1,724 in 2021,
Community banks similarly expect to allow mask-wearing in their branches indefinitely, given legitimate customer concerns about vulnerabilities to coronavirus variants and other contagious diseases. Many say their branch employees have grown accustomed to asking customers to briefly pull down their masks to confirm their identities.
Matt Deines, president and CEO of First Northwest Bancorp in Port Angeles, Washington, said that is the case for his staff in the Seattle area.
"It's become the status quo, but in a lot of ways, it's a non-event," Deines said in an interview.
He estimated that, while far less common than during the heights of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, about 10% of people in Seattle now wear masks when in crowded indoor areas.
"So it's with us and here to stay, and we are mindful of it," Deines said. Masks may add a small dose of branch security risk, he said, but the $2 billion-asset First Northwest's First Fed Bank has not experienced any problems.
"Now, if somebody walks in with a ski mask over their face, that's a different story," Deines said.
Salal Credit Union, also based in Seattle, dropped its mask requirement in offices when the city and Washington State relaxed masking rules as COVID-19 infection rates dropped, said Russell Rosendal, the $1.3 billion-asset credit union's president and CEO.
"Most members coming to
Like other institutions, the Salal branch team sometimes asks members to pull down their masks so they recognize them, then they are free to pull the masks up again, Rosendal said.
Canvas Credit Union in Lone Tree, Colorado, complied when masks were mandated by the CDC even though it anticipated an increased security risk, said Canvas' President and CEO Todd Marksberry.
"We didn't have much choice in the matter," Marksberry said. "And during that time, we also had to take into account the safety of our employees and their anxiety relative to COVID and the unknown."
The $4.3 billion-asset credit union had hired a greeter at its branches a couple years before the pandemic, and Marksberry said that move ended up being a lifesaver.
The greeter would meet members as soon as they entered, asking how they could help, he said. The goal was to expedite the process and improve the member experience.
"Our messaging emphasized concern for our members' and employees' safety and health. Having an employee greet our members as soon as they entered, asking for ID, really helped us eliminate some of the security risk of masks," Marksberry said.
During that time, the credit union also made a decision to not engage with members over masks. If someone refused to show their ID, a branch leader would help the member outside the branch.
Marksberry said the credit union didn't want its team to bear the brunt of disgruntled members who were conscientious objectors.
Regardless of the pros and cons, Brennan from Erie FCU said he doesn't expect to see masks banned again in branches any time soon.
"For the immediate future, they are here to stay," he said.
