Discover the Best Location for Your Next Branch Investment

Technology and Consumer Behaviors Have Changed Banking 

Technology and consumer behaviors have revolutionized everything from shopping to dating. As people redefine convenience on their own terms, they expect to easily and quickly be able to visit their local credit union branch. As a matter of fact, when it comes to picking a financial institution, the biggest deciding factor for modern consumers is branch location.

Branches are Back and Convenience is King

With 60% of individuals preferring to bank close to home and 40% wanting to handle their banking near work, it’s no wonder that in 2023, U.S. banks added more net new branches for the first time in a decade. U.S. financial institutions have planned or opened more branches in the last few years than over the entire previous decade combined—with plans to continue that pace into 2028 and beyond.

An Evidence-Based Approach to Site Selection & Acquisition

The importance of investing in physical branches can’t be overstated. But there are a myriad of things to consider during the complex and time-consuming process—traffic patterns, member dispersion, accessibility, visibility, hidden costs, CC&Rs, site due-diligence, and so much more. So how do you find the right branch location to minimize risk and maximize return?

The LEVEL5 Difference

For the last 20 years, we’ve applied an integrated, evidence-based approach to take the guesswork out of the entire design + build process—strategic growth visioning, custom technology solutions, site selection & acquisition, human-centric design, and expertly-crafted builds. Let’s focus on how you can discover the optimal location for your next branch investment.

The Biggest Predictor of Success

One of the biggest indicators of success relates to finding and acquiring the most promising strategic site for your next branch. We’re trailblazers in this area, since nobody else applies the same rigor to both the site selection and acquisition process. Our approach is turnkey, unrivaled, and proven. 

We understand that finding and securing the ideal site starts with ruthlessly knowing your members. To know your members and exactly what they want, we mine the data—analyzing information about both current and future members, competition, and future loan and deposit opportunities—and extract meaningful insights from that data. Those insights play a huge role in the site selection and acquisition process.

Acquire the Right Site

Having helped financial institutions acquire more than $1 billion in real estate, we’re experts on negotiating and delivering the very best location for you. Unlike our competitors, we negotiate directly with the seller, veil your identity, provide you with an “all-in” site acquisition cost, and offer a single point of contact to guide you through the entire acquisition process. 

We’re committed to following the data and insights to set our credit union partners up for success. Oftentimes, our research and market-based insights point us to a property that’s not for sale. That’s why over 70% of the properties we’ve acquired on behalf of our financial institution partners are not actively listed on the market.

Get Clarity and Be Bold

Just remember, when it comes to site selection and acquisition, it’s absolutely crucial to explore your next real estate move through the lens of a comprehensive, research-based strategy. Visit our website to learn more about how our team of experts can empower you with the clarity you need to be bold, act confidently, and implement strategies that will enable you to grow 38% faster than your local competitors.