Citibank has opened its first “smart banking” technology flagship branch on the West Coast in the Westwood section of Los Angeles.
The 6,000-square-foot office is the fourth flagship branch opened in the U.S. after the bank opened two such branches in New York and one in Washington.
These highly automated branches, however, are designed to foster customer retention merging technology with a more efficient face-time between loan officers and borrowers, including first-time homebuyers, homeowners inquiring about their mortgage, refinancing or foreclosure prevention.
Flagship branches combine “a unique level” of convenience and technology that can forge healthy relationships with the consumers and other banking clients, said the bank’s U.S. consumer and commercial banking president, Cece Stewart, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Interactive media walls, enhanced-image ATMs, Citibank online terminals and a full suite of automated banking capabilities operated by staff specialized in retail, small business, commercial, personal wealth management and mortgage lending make these facilities uniquely equipped to develop long-term relationships with the customers they serve by making banking easier.
Customers can bank using the Citibank for iPad and Citi Mobile on any iPhone, iPod touch or Android device.
After the success of the “smart banking” concept in Asia where Citibank pioneered banking as a relationship that blends todays automated banking capabilities with old school, face-to-face communication between customers and bank employees, the megabank plans to continue branching nationwide.
Branch locations are carefully selected. The Westwood facility is strategically located in a vibrant metropolitan center with a very diverse customer base of global clients, local residents and businesses, university students and tourists who are part of the multilingual population living and working in Los Angeles.
Employees have that same background and will be able to assist customers in ten languages: English, Farsi, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese, Armenian, Turkish, Hebrew and Spanish.
