JPMorgan Chase to open 90 branches this year - Employing 700 people

Globally banking customers increasingly migrating to digital channels, banks in the US have spent the last few years trimming their branch networks. Anyhow, battling rivals Bank of America and Wells Fargo for loans and deposits, last January JPMorgan Chase vowed to open 400 branches in order to get a foothold in new markets.

Chase will open up to 90 branches, employing 700 people, this year as its puts its faith in the ability of bricks-and-mortar and the human touch to win over new business.

This year it will look to crack nine of the top markets, including Charlotte, Kansas City, Nashville and St Louis. In addition, it will add new sites in existing markets such as Philadelphia and Boston.

The bank also plans to add branches in new locations close to large universities, including Auburn University in Alabama and the University of Nebraska, with plans to expand into these states more broadly in 2020. 

Chase will enter each city with a mix of full service branches that help customers and local small businesses with more complex needs, as well as smaller, digital-first locations. Customers will also have access to cardless ATMs that can perform more than 70% of teller transactions. 

Thasunda Duckett, CEO, Chase Consumer Banking, says: "To us, this is so much more than building branches. This is about new customer relationships, better access to credit, and local jobs." 

In contrast, Standard Bank in South Africa is is closing 91 branches ad cutting 1200 jobs as part of its digitisation programme.