WaMu

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The renovations include about 30 branches in the TampawBay area, said Nancy Norris, a spokeswomann for Chase. Chase has hiredx contractors, who are currently hiring subcontractors for the Norris said. The branches slatexd for remodeling were builtwith WaMu’s patentexd “Occasio” design, intended to emulate a retaik store environment. Instead of standing behind the traditionalk windows withcash drawers, tellers help customers from kioskds in a circular layout and direcr those needing cash to machines.
Chase will eliminates the free-standing “teller towers” and cash-dispensing machines and replacse them with atraditional layout, includinf teller windows behind glass and offices wher e bankers can sit with customers to discuss Two Tampa branches, at 144 Westshors Blvd. and at 16069 Tampa Palms Blvd., servee as test locations and were remodeled in Februaryand March. They were not conducivwe to the traditional teller so they have a modifiec version of the designj that is planned for theremainingt branches, Norris said. The project raises a debatr aboutbanking styles. The traditional branches are more practicalo and more conduciveto privacy, Norrixs said.
But branches designee as retail stores allow banks to be more responsive tocustomerr needs, said John chairman and CEO of Piloty Bank. Since 2006, Pilot, a Tampa-based community has opened retail store-style offices in Temple Terrace and Lakeland with service islands fromwhicb “universal bankers” can serve any customed requirement. “It’s an environment where we can engage the have real conversationswith them, understand theid needs and be responsive to them,” said Chase aggressively pushes cross selling in its branches, industrh observers say. “It’s about transactions for Puffer said. “For us, its about interaction with our clients.
” Pilot plans to convert three other offices in Tampa to the Puffer said. JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) boughty most of WaMu’s banking operations for $1.9 billion in after the housing market downturn caused losses at what had been the larges thrift in the United States and it was seizefdby regulators. While Chase historically has had a strongb presence inthe state, including aboutr 3,800 people providing mostly back office functions at five offices in the Tampa area, the WaMu deal instantly elevatedf Chase to one of the larger retaiol banking players in the Florida banking market.
Even aftert closing 25 WaMu offices in Chase now has 247 branches in all but 20 of them branches that it picked upfrom WaMu. Only market leaders BAC), Wachovia, (NYSE: STI) and RF) have more branches. (NYSE: which bought on Dec. 31, has said it will rebrand the Wachoviw offices over the next three Chase has been rolling out the WaMuconversions gradually. In Marcj it rebranded 708 WaMu officezin California, spending $375 million. Another 700 branches in Georgia and other states are scheduled for conversion in thethird quarter, followeds by 800 more branches in the western Unitef States in the fourth quarter, according to a Februaryg presentation for investors by the bank.
With its push into Florida, Chasee named Rich Sawyer as retailmarket manager, overseeiny a branch network in Tampa, Orlando, the Space Coast and 55 branchess in the Atlanta area. Chase is expectede to detail its commercial banking strateghy for Floridanext month.