On Feb. 5, Huntington Bank is opening a new branch in the Sophia Square building on Main Street.
But company officials say this won’t be “just another branch.” This new concept will feature a lobby that is open 24/7 with self-service banking machines, far more powerful than the typical ATM.
If this “smart branch” pilot program works out in Carmel, then Huntington might open similar locations, maybe connected to retail centers, grocery stores or apartment buildings.
Mike Newbold, regional president for Huntington Bank in Indiana, said this is all part of a strategy to offer many different ways that customers can do their banking. It’s obvious that people can choose to go to a teller if they want face-to-face help and most people are familiar with banking online or on their smartphones – taking photos of checks to make a deposit – but the next step are self-service machines.
These aren’t just ATMs, which can deposit checks and spit out cash, these machines will allow people to complete transactions such as opening a new checking account or checking on the status of a loan. Staff on hand will be available to teach people how to use the new technology. There will be four self-service terminals and several secure ATMs in a lobby, part of which will be open 24/7.
“This way people can come in out from the cold and feel safe inside our lobby at any time,” he said. “The machines available will look kind of like our traditional ATMs, but they’ll have more features.”
But the move toward incorporating technology at the branches doesn’t mean the end of the personal face-to-face experience. Not only will there be tellers at the Sophia Square branch, but Huntington is also planning a new branch near Old Meridian that will be much larger than the existing location on Range Line Road.
“That’s a great location, but we’ve just run out of space,” Newbold said.
