Bank of America Corp. (BAC) received an XCelent Service Award for its branch experience and post-account opening service in a report published Thursday by Celent.
Staff at the international financial research and consulting firm opened accounts at B of A, BB&T, Chase, Citibank, Fifth Third, HSBC, PNC, Regions, SunTrust, TD Bank, US Bank and Wells Fargo to conduct its research.
Celent said in an announcement that B of A was able to offer the broadest array of solutions on the spot, including offering the most thorough needs assessments, demonstrating ATMs and having an investment specialist on staff. Among the talking points for B of A branch staff were: mortgages, including duration, balance and rate; credit cards including international fee waivers and rewards; investment accounts and porting some of a savings account into B of A Merrill investment vehicles; and savings accounts and CDs.
BB&T won an honorable mention. The bank did a good job of focusing on customer needs rather than what the bank wanted to sell, the Celent researchers found.
Among other findings, the report concluded that B of A, Fifth Third and US Bank executed mobile promotions well at the branch; and US Bank and Citi were strong at promoting internet banking at the branch.
