What effect have mergers and acquisitions had on a customers access to branches?
A: A branch closing which has resulted from a merger need not necessarily mean a lost relationship. The reason a branch closes is usually the presence of a nearby branch of the same bank. Moreover, the number of bank and thrift branches has increased each year from 1993 to 2009. Today there are more than 98,000 bank and thrift offices in the U.S.