As more customers embrace electronic banking — a trend that accelerated during the pandemic — PNC Bank has plans to convert roughly 60% of its branches nationwide over the next five years to a new technology-focused model that eliminates teller windows and instead concentrates on offering financial advice.

“We’re transforming our network based on customer demand,” said Jim Balouris, executive vice president and retail market manager for southwestern Pennsylvania. “We are going to spend more time helping people with their financial plans and giving advice.”

He said the conversions won’t affect staffing levels.

“Branch locations are still critical,” he said. “But what we do inside the branches will change. Employees will be spending more of their time in conversations instead of doing transactions.”

Pittsburgh’s market leader also wants to use its branches to teach more customers how to use mobile banking and other digital tools.

“We have to teach people about saving money and accessing credit and how to use technology so they can do things conveniently, when they want to do things,” Mr. Balouris said.

Some of the remodeled branches — those with the most traffic — will get video banking machines that connect customers to live tellers to perform more complicated transactions that ATMs can’t handle. For example, customers could use the video machines to withdraw more money than the daily limit for automated teller machines.

Last month, Pittsburgh-based PNC converted its Oakland branch and another at Fifth Avenue Place, Downtown, to the new model, which includes more private office space and customer seating.

At Fifth Avenue Place, the square footage is being cut in half. The office is slated to close temporarily on July 1 so the construction can be completed, and is expected to reopen after Labor Day.

PNC has been experimenting with tellerless branches for roughly a decade, including prototypes in Wilkinsburg and Bakery Square in Larimer.

Although PNC expects to convert roughly 60% of its branches to tellerless offices across its footprint, the Pittsburgh region will be slightly different. The bank has about 2,600 branches nationwide.

“We have more market share in Pittsburgh and customers skew a bit older…so Pittsburgh will be a little bit less” than 60%, Mr. Balouris said.

Patricia Sabatini: PSabatini@post-gazette.com; 412-263-3066.

First Published: May 31, 2022, 9:11 p.m.
Updated: June 1, 2022, 10:22 a.m.