How is branch transformation changing?

Bank branches are by no means dying off. There are several data points to counter that, with big banks such as Bank of America making huge efforts to expand their branch presence to the majority of America. These branches are not the same as in the past, as they are moving traditional teller tasks to ATMs.Michele Riley, VP of global software and services delivery at Diebold Nixdorf joined Bradley Cooper, editor of ATM Marketplace, on the Bank Customer Experience podcast to do a deep dive on how branch transformation efforts have evolved over the past five years, especially with ATMs.Riley first noted that banks are looking at technologies that deliver operational efficiencies that "reduce costs.""They need to leverage technology to create operational efficiencies, which creates a better client experience," Riley said.When it comes to how much tech should be used vs. human interaction, she said it should follow the 80/20 rule of automating the simple transactions that take up 80% of most tellers time so they can focus on the more personalized services they can provide 20% of the time.This can look different with bigger financial institutions vs. smaller ones, as they are both going for the same goal of "transforming their branches, becoming more efficient, and optimizing the client experience," but they have different means to reach it. For example, bigger ones can build it in-house, while smaller ones often need more dedicated partners.Riley also examined:Why is it important to look beyond the ATM and consider the full branch ecosystem?How can banks move customers towards self-service channels?If more routine banking is happening digitally, why do branches still matter?Where do banks typically experience the greatest operational friction across their branch and self-service networks?What role does cash continue to play in branch strategy, and where are the biggest opportunities to manage it more efficiently?What early lessons are emerging from institutions that have started this journey?Listen to the podcast in full above.

Financial institutions often rely on heavily outdated systems, especially when it comes to ATM hosts. By relying on legacy hosts, they may be unable to perform upgrades and failures can become more frequent and expensive.In this episode of the Bank Customer Experience podcast, KAL CEO Aravinda Korala joins host Bradley Cooper to explain the strategic importance of ATM host systems, the limitations of outdated infrastructure, the move toward "zero legacy" environments and why modernization doesn't need to be a "big bang" project for banks.He noted that many banks are frightened of replacing ATM hosts, especially if they have "thousands of ATMs, connected to this one big single point of failure."However, by relying on legacy systems, banks will find that software support is either "questionable, or maybe even potentially hardly even available."One of the main reasons these systems are kept around is that they can perform common transaction processing fairly quickly. "The real problem is that it can't do anything new."One way KAL approaches host projects is to keep it one small step at a time."It is possible to support one ATM, then two, then five, then ten, and switch the existing ATMs from the old host to the new host one at a time. But not only can we do that migration in a carefully organized, step-by-step way. It is also true with our software. We can do the same thing as we do with new versions of our software. In other words, it's never a big bang with our KTH product," Korala said.When asked what KTH involved, he pointed to its ability to run ATM networks and POS networks. For ATMs, its most important service is being able "to talk to multiple different services that might be within the bank."With this technique, banks can offer customers additional services at the ATM such as a better credit card or banking product."The job of KTH is to connect to those services and put it all together into a real transaction."Listen to the podcast in its entirety above.

Teller Cash Recyclers began as simpler teller cash machines, helping tellers more quickly count and store cash. They then evolved into cash recyclers, able to manage multiple cash cassettes and recycle customer deposits for withdrawals. Over time, they seen further improvements such as larger capacity and vault features.At the same time, many banks chose to use older TCRs or even rebuy older models, which can cause costs on both the customer and employee experience side. Cook Solutions group joined ATM Marketplace on today's episode of the Bank Customer Experience podcast to discuss why these old TCRs can cost banks in the long term and how banks should address TCR strategy more broadly.Bradley Cooper, editor of ATM Marketplace, moderated the discussion with Katilyn Bridgers-Petrie, strategic solutions manager, and Scott Fieber, chief strategy officer at Cook Solutions Group.Fieber discussed how, for many banks, they allow TCRs to fall by the wayside, continuing to purchase legacy devices, as they view them as a commodity.One reason for that is that many FIs do not assign a C-level individual to oversee the TCR fleet, or, as Bridgers-Petrie discussed, "they had one 10 to 20 years ago, but roles changed over time, and the TCR fell by the wayside."Fieber mentioned several potential downsides of older machines, such as:Increased downtimes.Lost customer experience.More difficulty retaining staff.Once banks identify the need for a new TCR or strategy in place, Fieber recommended that they get everyone involved, including vendors and the decision makers into a strategic workshop to brainstorm ideas on how to manage rollout, and must-have technologies that deliver a stronger ROI.Bridgers-Petrie gave a few examples of must-have technology such as "self-auditing."She added that self-auditing means that "tellers are no longer having to spend time after hours to balance machines, audit all of your cash, you now have your TCR to do all of that for you. And with some manufacturers, you can do that completely unattended. You can have that done within the safe and no one is having to monitor that after hours like they previously done. That alone is a game changer and a big hit on the ROI."To hear more, listen to the rest of the podcast above.

The era of the lone criminal targeting an ATM has ended. Now, organized criminals work together to figure out vulnerabilities and target ATMs. One of their primary techniques in 2026 is man-in-the-middle attacks, which intercept communications between the host and processor to send out fraudulent transactions.In today's episode of the Bank Customer Experience podcast, host Bradley Cooper spoke with Michael Strange, director of technology services, Cook Solutions Group, and Alyssa Luecke, fintech solutions consultant, Cook Solutions Group, about what MITM attacks are and how they have changed in 2026.During the podcast, Strange identified that criminals are able to perform these attacks with much better efficiency and without as much risk of being on site. For example, they can install a black box device, usually a Raspberry Pi, directly into the machine and then communicate with it remotely.Strange said that in the Pacific Northwest these attacks have become the main vector of actors. "I'd say the last 3 months, that's all we've seen. It's been almost exclusively man in the middle."He added that criminal groups have started using Wi-Fi routers so they can control the attack remotely, as well as using server spoofing."They don't need the local Bluetooth connection anymore, they can have that guy off site." They can even use black boxes in bypass mode, which allows customers to do legitimate transactions in between installation of the black box and when the criminal groups device to use it.The process of the overall attack remains the same. A group scouts out the location first, noting any cameras and the overall security of the device. They will then attempt to remove the top box to see if an alarm is triggered or any law enforcement is called. If no alarm sounds, they will replace the top box, then come back at another date to install the black box device. They can then send out cash collectors who can insert a payment card and put in a legitimate transaction. The black box will then take that legitimate transaction and approve a maximum withdrawal.Strange said in many cases, banks only find out about this incident when they run out of cash at the ATM. Even then, Luecke said that the bank may attribute this to a busy week of cash withdrawals.Luecke and Strange also discussed methods for how to prevent attacks, such as installing an alarm on the top hat, from which criminals can access the network cables. They can also use barriers that can block access to the top hat.To learn more about this attack vector and ways to prevent it, listen to the podcast in full above.

Independent ATM Deployers are a critical part of the ATM ecosystem. These front-line businesses provide access to cash in areas deemed too risky by financial institutions. The market for IADs has changed significantly in recent years, both in negative and positive ways, such as declining cash usage, rising AI tools and advanced ATM features.In today's episode of the Bank Customer Experience podcast, Bradley Cooper, podcast host and editor of ATM Marketplace, spoke with Todd McEwan, president of New England ATM, an ATM service provider based in the New England states, about what the past and present landscape is like for IADs.One fact he pointed to was that the market for IADs has changed significantly. He said in 2008 it was very common not to see ATMs in convenience stores, but now the market has matured and one can find ATMs in gas stations and convenience stores around the U.S.Over time, the valuable locations have changed as well. Hotels and hospitality were highly sought after in the early 2000s, as customers would often withdraw cash to tip taxis, but with the onset of Uber and other ridesharing apps, this has cut into the market. McEwan said the current most valuable locations for IADs are "vice" locations such as cannabis dispensaries, liquor stores and other shops of that nature.Of course, by installing in locations like these, IADs also have to think carefully about security. He pointed out that on average, his business loses "$7,000 to $10,000" annually due to theft, and he has to consider that a "business expense." In some locations, he doesn't stock the ATMs with a lot of cash due to the risk of theft. For loss prevention, he said it's important to bolt the ATM to the floor and keep it away from easy access such as doors and windows.McEwan discussed a number of other topics of importance to IADs including:How is cash usage trend impacting the business?What's good tactics for dealing with banking relationships?How feasible is it to provide more advanced features for an ATM as an IAD?Listen to the discussion in its entirety above.

How many FIs have a relatively high efficiency ratio? In other words, how much do they have to spend to make $1? Scott Fieber, chief strategy officer, said he was shocked to find out that "over 12 % of all institutions in the United States are over 90%." This means that these FIs had to spend more than 90 cents to make $1.Fieber and Scott Smith, chief strategy officer at Cook Solutions Group, joined Bradley Cooper, editor of ATM Marketplace, to discuss this issue and how banks can reduce their ratios in this episode of the Bank Customer Experience Podcast.Fieber and Smith emphasized the importance of starting small with this issue, as even reducing ratios by 2% could make a big difference to one's bottom line. That money saved can then be used for strategic initiatives."Instead of spending that money on inefficient practices and doubling down on bad purchases and bad protocols, now we've got some money. Let's free it up to do the fun stuff," Fieber said.One way to improve this ratio, according to Smith and Fieber, is to take a look at one's vendor relationships and ask basic questions such as:Are we experiencing vendor creep?Are multiple departments using different vendors, where we could use one?Is there a vendor we could partner with to handle multiple aspects of our business?When asked how FIs can begin addressing efficiency ratios, Fieber pointed to hosting a strategic workshop where banks can gain some "nuggets" that could start some ideas."Why is a strategic workshop so important? It's important for the FI individually, but it's also important for the FI to involve their partners so that they understand the strategic layout of what their partners are doing too. Hey, what's on your roadmap? Does it align with ours? I think those are all conversations that sometimes get overlooked that are very, very valuable," Smith said.Cook Solutions Group created a guide called A Strategic Guide for Banking Executives: 10 Questions for Banking Executives, which FIs can use during these workshops to jumpstart conversation.Fieber said the guide can "at least get you started if you're kind of stuck on a home plate, not sure where to go."Listen to the entire conversation above. Click here to download Cook Solutions Group's free guide.

When many banks were scoffing at the idea of online accounts, First Internet Bank was embracing the internet head on. Founded in 1999 as a branchless financial institution by CEO and chairman David B. Becker, the bank struggled through the early days of dial-up, but also maintained its vision.In today's episode of the Bank Customer Experience podcast, Becker joined Bradley Cooper, editor of ATM Marketplace, to discuss the history of the bank and where it's headed in the age of AI.Becker said the bank has often been criticized for not having the advantages of a branch, such as being able to go in and talk to a dedicated banker. However, First Internet Bank integrated a chat feature to allow customers to select a banker by name as their main point of contact. This reflects the bank's vision of still embracing technology without neglecting the human element.He said this is the same principle as AI, as First Internet Bank uses AI, but remains dedicated to employees improving their work through AI, rather than replacing humans with AI agents.During the discussion, Becker provided insights into several topics including:The founding of First Internet Bank.How it handled early internet pain points.The pros and cons of being branches.AI innovations.How fintech is evolving.Listen to the full discussion above.

How many customers can tell you the difference between two banks? The fact banks often do not clearly differentiate themselves leaves them vulnerable to competition, especially from neo-banks. Banks have opportunities to differentiate themselves through technology, optimized branches and other services. By doing so, they can also increase their revenue in a shrinking market.Bradley Cooper, editor of ATM Marketplace, spoke with Kaitlyn Bridgers-Petrie, strategic solutions manager at Cook Solutions Group and Scott Fieber, chief strategy officer at Cook Solutions Group, to discuss bank differentiation and revenue growth opportunities in today's episode of the Bank Customer Experience podcast.Fieber said during the podcast that those of us involved in the banking world can take for granted that customers don't have much knowledge of key banking differentiators. For example, how many customers "know the difference between a credit union and a bank?" Many couldn't tell you.As a result, banks need to have "clearer differentiators that customers can clearly communicate," whether that's ITM access, convenient branch locations or great customer service.During the podcast, Fiber and Bridgers-Petrie discussed the following topics:Alternative tactics to boost deposits.Technology to increase revenue.What's your risk tolerance for branch expansions?How to reduce efficiency ratios.How to avoid vendor creep.Listen to the podcast in its entirety above.

It's no surprise the average American is stressed about finances. In fact, anywhere from 71% to 80% of Americans have reported money as being a primary stresser in their life. Banks haven't always been the best at handling or helping customers through this stress. But with AI tools, that may be changing.In today's episode of the Bank Customer Experience podcast, Erin Cohee, VP of user experience and business development at OneUnited Bank, discusses financial stressors and how AI is transforming money management to help customers handle that stress.OneUnited Bank has had a history of providing financial services to low and moderate income communities in Compton, Liberty City, Florida and other places. The bank is continuing to do this through tools that provide personalized financial tips and guidance.During the podcast, Cohee addresses a number of topics including:What are some of the big financial stressors of consumers today?How have traditional banks been addressing those concerns?Before AI what sort of money management tools were available? What were some of their shortcomings?How is AI changing money management?What sort of tools are out there?How is OneUnited tapping into AI for money management tools?How is it maintaining the personal touch as well while using AI?Listen to the podcast in its entirety above.

The Bank Customer Experience Podcast is kicking off 2026 with an episode on new ATM fraud methods and how to prevent them. Podcast host Bradley Cooper spoke with Michael Strange, director of technology services, Cook Solutions Group and Alyssa Luecke, fintech solutions consultant, Cook Solutions Group on this evergreen topic, as criminal groups never stop innovating when it comes to breaking into ATMs.Strange said that the biggest method we are seeing is a resurgence of jackpotting attacks that is being driven in part by "complacency" on the part of financial institutions. In some cases, the criminal groups are still using decades old techniques, while others are taking advantage of vulnerabilities with PCI ports.Some financial institutions have responded to these threats through various gadgets such as alarms. However, Strange pointed out that many times there aren't any procedures in place on how to handle security events. For example, someone might take the top hat off the ATM, which activates the alarm, then they replace it. The financial institution will consider it a false alarm and ignore it when the criminal comes back again to actually finish the jackpotting attack.To address these issues, Strange and Luecke emphasized the importance of overlapping security measures from object detection on cameras to alarms and encryption and more.Strange and Luecke also discussed:How Cook Solutions Group is working with the U.S. Secret Service.The best security practices for banks.The strangest ATM attacks of 2025.What banks can expect in 2026.Listen to the podcast in its entirety above.