ABA Banking Journal - July 2010 - (Page 20)
tech topics | check imaging Time to take another look at branch capture? Five developments make it worthwhile for banks with large branch networks to revisit capture decision By gary stein T he branch capture concept is not new. In fact, we estimate that 60-70% of all U.S. banks and thrifts have some form of branch capture in place today, whether at the teller line, back counter, or in a hybrid format that provides front capture for dedicated commercial windows and back capture for all others. This statistic, however, is dominated by smaller institutions, and many larger competitors remain holdouts. Historically, regionals and super-regionals with extensive branch networks have been challenged to justify the hardware, software, and other costs related to deploying branch capture. A number of ongoing and anticipated developments should improve the attractiveness of implementing branch capture, though. Here are the most important: Banks no longer have to decide whether to convert checks to images—just when. Almost every bank in the U.S. exchanges and settles images today, and 99% of all check payments are now processed in image format. This March, the Federal Reserve closed its Atlanta paper check processing site, leaving the Cleveland office as the last remaining facility. Banks that still process and exchange paper tech topics cONtINUes ON p. 24 1. 20 | ABA BANKING JOURNAL | july 2010
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