Two years following Celent’s inaugural Panel, we look anew at where US financial institutions are in their journey to transform the branch channel.

This is the seventh in a series of reports based on Celent’s Branch Transformation Research Panel. The purpose of the effort is to look deeply into the objectives, priorities, risks, barriers, and likely outcomes of the growing trend that is branch channel transformation in North America. Panelists were recruited among Celent clients and nonclients alike. This survey is largely identical to the inaugural survey conducted in April 2015 with the objective of understanding the extent of progress made over the past two years. The research shows that while banks have made progress (particularly in the human capital realm), much work remains — three to five years’ worth, according to the research panel.