Regions Bank has opened a new facility at 10906 St. Charles Rock Rd. to replace its 40-year-old St. Ann branch. The branch serves St. Ann and neighboring areas in North St. Louis County.
“This new location is a reflection of our commitment to the St. Louis region and the investments we are making to reach more people with a wide range of financial services,” said Mike Hart, Midwest area president for Regions Bank.
The new branch is part of the redevelopment of the former Northwest Plaza shopping center, now called the Crossing at Northwest, said Keith Crissman, Midwest consumer banking executive for Regions. It is a full-service facility that isn’t just there to open accounts or cash checks, he said.
“Rather, we build relationships with our customers, we find out what’s important to them, and we listen to what they want to accomplish financially,” Crissman said.
Crissman said they believe the bank has a responsibility to address the issue of unbanked and underbanked populations in the region.
African Americans make up the vast majority of the unbanked population in St. Louis, according to federal statistics. Thirteen percent of African-American households are unbanked, as opposed to a much smaller proportion of white households. These numbers have decreased since the last FDIC survey in 2011.
Crissman said the bank works with several community partners, including Justine Petersen, Urban League and Jennings School District, to offer financial literacy assistance in surrounding neighborhoods. They also work to help families build credit and move towards home ownership.
“We believe what is good for our community is good for Regions,” Crissman said.
The St. Ann facility is one of the first Regions branches in St. Louis to offer Video Banking service. Video Banking ATMs connect customers with a Regions representative via two-way video. Along with processing most teller transactions, Regions video bankers can help customers with account maintenance, general inquiries and more.
The St. Ann location also offers a DepositSmart ATM. In addition to dispensing cash, Regions’ DepositSmart ATMs can accept deposits and cash checks for customers at any time, day or night. The DepositSmart ATM is located in the drive-through area of the branch, along with two Video Banking ATMs.
An additional Video Banking ATM is located in a 24-hour vestibule at the front of the facility. After branch hours, the vestibule is accessible through the swipe of a Regions ATM or debit card. Outside of Video Bankers’ hours, the machine functions as a standard ATM.
Other new technology includes Regions’ facial recognition and fingerprint technology for customers using safe deposit boxes. This system employs several layers of technology designed to enhance security surrounding safe deposit boxes while also improving efficiency of access for Regions customers.
“Certainly, we see growth in our online and mobile channels, but we find our digital customers continue to use branch locations as well,” Hart said. “This branch is the latest example of how Regions is working to serve people when, where and how they want to be served.”
The new branch replaces Regions’ previous St. Ann branch space near the intersection of St. Charles Rock Road and International Plaza Drive. The previous branch space had been in operation by Regions and its predecessor companies for over 40 years.
By the end of the year, Crissman said Regions will also open a new facility for its Jennings branch with all the same bells and whistles.
Video Bankers are available during extended hours on weekdays (7 a.m. – 8 p.m. ). They are also available on Saturdays (8 a.m. – 5 p.m. ), as well as Sundays (11 a.m. – 5 p.m.) and during most holidays (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) as well.
