Banks Use Surveys to Cover Small Business Topics of Interest

November 28, 2017

In May 2017, EMI published a blog that discusses how banks use surveys to build small business engagement. In that blog we reported that many leading banks publish recurring surveys that track general business optimism as well as key challenges and opportunities. In addition, banks also carry surveys that cover specific topics on a one-off basis. The following table looks at the topics covered over the past six months:

The banks cover these topics of interest to achieve a number of objectives, including:

Raising general awareness of the bank and affinity among small businesses
Positioning the bank as a small business banking thought leader
Communicating their understanding of the changing issues impacting small businesses
Highlighting their areas of strength
Differentiating the bank from its competitors

In fact, the desire for differentiation is leading banks to conduct surveys on specific small business sub-segments or on specific product areas. Recent standalone surveys of this type include:

U.S. Bank surveys of Asian-American small business owners (October 2017) and Hispanic small business owners (October 2017)
Surveys by both Bank of America (September 2017) and American Express (November 2017) on women-owned businesses
Bank of America Small Business Payments Spotlight (October 2017)
American Express Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey (November 2017)

The proliferation of small business surveys that cover specific topics of interest indicate that they are effective tools in helping banks build awareness and engagement with their small business clients and prospects.

10 Developments in Recent Credit Card Launches

October 2, 2017

Over the past six months, EMI has monitored new credit card launches by leading issuers and identified 10 trends.

Issuers are moving away from long-duration introductory rates on purchases and balance transfers (BTs), in particular on travel cards.
A basic earn rate of more than 1% (or 1 mile/point per dollar) is common.
Most cards are offering a higher earn rate for spending in specific categories.
- Bonus-earn categories tend to target travel, dining, gas station and supermarket spending.
- U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite offers three points per dollar on mobile wallet spending.
Issuers are not competing aggressively on APR.
- None of the cards had an APR below 10%; the lowest was the Navy FCU More Rewards American Express Card, with an APR range of 10.65%-18%.
- The two affluent cards with annual fees of $400+ (UBS Visa Infinite and U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite) have a single APR.
The two new affluent cards are metal.
Many cards continue to promote acquisition-and-activation bonus offers
- Three premium cards (with annual fees) all offered 50,000 bonus points.
- Three other cards (with no annual fees) promoted bonus offers of 10,000 miles or $100.
In a significant departure from the previous norm, two new no-annual-fee airline cards have been launched
- American Express launched Blue Delta SkyMiles.
- Chase introduced United TravelBank.
For higher-end cards with annual fees, the robust travel benefits are emphasized over the rewards program as the core justification for the fees.
No foreign transaction (FT) fees on travel cards is now becoming a standard feature.
- American Express remains an outlier, by continuing to apply a 2.7% FT fee on its travel cards.
Most issuers continue to apply BT fees.
- However, Santander Bank’s Ultimate Cash Card is positioned as having no fees in multiple fee categories (annual, BT, cash advance, FT and returned payment).

Key Considerations for Effective Financial Education Programs

November 9, 2016

Banks and other financial providers have recently increased their focus on developing financial education programs, driven by a number of factors:

Numerous studies have highlighted deficiencies in financial literacy among U.S. consumers. FINRA Foundation’s National Financial Capability Study found that only 37% of people were considered to have high financial literacy in 2015, down from 42% in 2009 and 39% in 2012. Studies also show that consumer exposure to and engagement with financial education programs leads to smarter financial decision making. Therefore, the onus is on a range of entities (government, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, industry associations, and of course financial firms) to develop programs to improve financial literacy.

Many financial firms are looking to (re)position themselves as trusted providers of not just products and services, but also of information and advice that can help people better manage their finances. To that end, financial education programs can act as a means to help banks cement relationships with their clients.

The following are some key considerations for financial firms in establishing a new financial education program—or in enhancing an existing one:

Conduct research to gain insights into consumers’ financial literacy levels, attitudes to financial services, preferred channels for consuming financial information, and favored sources of financial information and advice.
Create a dedicated and branded financial literacy program that brings together the diverse range of financial education initiatives under one umbrella. These programs can take the form of an online portal, such as the TD Bank Learning Center, John Hancock Retirement Plan Services’ My Learning Center and MassMutual’s FutureSmart program.
Conduct financial education surveys. Surveys are an effective way to raise consumer awareness and interest, highlight commitment to raising financial literacy, and gain insights that inform financial education program development and execution. U.S. Bank recently published two financial education surveys: the Parent Financial Education Survey (July 2016, focused on the parents of college students aged 18-14) and the Student and Personal Financial Survey (September 2016). Last month, Bank of America published the Bank of America/USA Today Better Money Habits report, which was versioned for 7 of its markets.
Ensure that financial education content reflects the different ways that consumers process information. Keep content short, with easy-to-follow tips and soundbytes. Incorporate images, infographics or video to enhance its visual appeal.
Distribute content through a range of channels. These channels can include online portals (as described above), events, in-person and online courses, and social media platforms. (PNC announced in August that it would be using Pinterest to promote its financial and early childhood education initiative.) In addition, a number of banks (e.g., First Tennessee, First National Bank and SunTrust) have partnered with Operation Hope to open HOPE Inside offices in its branches. SunTrust recently announced an ambitious plan to expand the Operation HOPE Inside program from 7 branches today to 200 by 2020. The number of individuals receiving financial counseling through these offices is expected to rise from 6,000 to 150,000.
Partner with schools and nonprofit organizations that promote financial literacy in communities. This partnership can take the form of joint programs, funding or employee volunteer hours. Fifth Third recently introduced an initiative to deliver its Empower U financial literacy course through 60 local nonprofit organizations throughout its footprint. And Allianz Life recently awarded $275,000 in financial literacy grants to 14 nonprofit organizations in the Twin Cities.

Well-constructed, well-delivered financial education programs improve financial literacy. This in turn leads to smarter financial decision making, benefitting both consumers and their financial providers.