By Cynthia H. Bowman, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Bank of America and D. Steve Boland, Head of Consumer Lending, Bank of America
In an ever-changing, fast-paced world, we are delivering financial solutions the way our clients expect, while also elevating and helping to address important societal challenges.
At Bank of America, our purpose is to help make financial lives better for our clients and communities through the power of every connection. Our 209,000 employees work every day to understand the needs of our clients, to deliver the financial solutions our clients expect, and – importantly – to elevate and help address important societal challenges affecting the people and communities we serve.
Internally, we encourage our employees to have “Courageous Conversations” about sensitive and relevant topics, including race, gender dynamics, domestic violence, LGBTQ equality, and social justice. As African-American leaders of a large organization, we understand the significance of leading on these topics, and how these engagements can broaden and enhance our capabilities to deliver for our clients in a meaningful way. We have also engaged outside leaders on these important issues, including National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial, creating a dynamic and informative exchange of ideas and experiences. With these conversations, internal leadership and employee networks, including our Black Professional Group, Bank of America strengthens inclusion and cultural awareness across the company. We strive to create a work environment that promotes greater appreciation for diverse ideas and engagement, empowering our people to better understand, value and serve our clients and communities.
It is through this lens that we are creating a tailored community-centered approach to serve the needs of our 67 million clients through our financial centers, mobile banking and digital capabilities, partnerships, and more. Our clients represent all walks of life – low- and moderate-income (LMI) and high net worth, rural and urban areas, and everything in between. To meet the needs of each segment, it is important to understand all of them.
No matter what stage or goal in life, our clients expect Bank of America to deliver financial wellness aligned with their life priorities. Many of our clients reevaluate their retirement planning decisions at the beginning of the year – creating an opportunity to discuss what’s most important so they can plan, budget, accumulate assets and save for what’s next. Others look for guidance on saving money for college, purchasing a home or car, or managing through credit challenges and opportunities.
Bank of America’s financial centers are located in key markets, providing access points – for all clients – to help make banking easier, offering ATMs and online banking kiosks, free Wi-Fi, a dedicated learning space, and interactive tools for the community. These features exemplify our Specialty Centers approach – creating tailored experiences for clients with different needs and adapting as clients experience life changes and growth. The technology, services, marketing materials, space configuration and furniture plan are uniquely designed to enhance our clients’ experience.
While our financial centers are an important part of how we deliver solutions, we understand that an increasing number of our clients want the convenience and flexibility to bank from their mobile devices. According to Pew Research Center1, 61 percent of black adults in the U.S. use their mobile phones to access online banking information, compared to 57 percent of white and 55 percent of Hispanic adults. Nearly 36 million of our clients are active digital users, at a rate of over 100 million account sign-ins per week. More than 24 million of those clients manage their banking needs using our mobile banking app. More than a quarter of our mobile banking users are LMI clients, and half of our lower-income clients use push alerts to actively manage their daily finances.
We are enabling our clients to do their banking from anywhere in a convenient and simplified way through our digital capabilities, including the Bank of America Digital Mortgage Experience™ and Zelleâ payments system. Clients can make payments, deposit checks, and open accounts right from their smartphones. Our clients can stay on track with their spending and credit while on the move by using our tools to access FICO scores, lock and unlock their Bank of America debit cards, and set up appointments with our specialists. Some of our clients have asked for special alerts, and with our mobile banking app, they can set up low-balance and fraud alerts, reach saving goals with our Spending and Budgeting tool, and get on-the-spot financial guidance through our Better Money Habits® program, including tips, tools and content in Spanish. And Bank of America Merrill Edge allows clients to seamlessly connect with their banking and investment management resources, including 24/7 online access, real-time transfers, and support from a licensed advisor. We educate our clients about how our digital and in-person capabilities can help them achieve their short- and long-term goals, providing the right solutions to navigate their individual path.
As clients progress in life and their banking needs evolve, our specialists are prepared to help them understand how best to use technology and other resources to improve their financial lives; they are also trained to help when clients need assistance beyond what can be provided by technological devices.
At Bank of America, we work every day to deliver on our purpose to make financial lives better through innovative technology, trained specialists and convenience. And we are honored to partner with the Urban League and many others as we continue to explore issues facing our communities and work toward equality in status, rights and opportunities for all.
1 Racial and ethnic differences in how people use mobile technology, Pew Research Center (2015)
