In an era when customers are transacting ever more of their banking business online or through mobile devices, bank branches are rethinking their physical presence in communities.
 
In January, PNC announced that it would reduce its bricks-and-mortar footprint in Wilmington with a consolidation that becomes effective April 16.
 
“We constantly evaluate our branches, together with our other available channels of banking, to ensure that they are most effectively meeting our customers’ needs,” spokeswoman Marcey Zwiebel said recently in a statement. “As a result of these evaluations, the decision was made to consolidate the 17th Street Branch located at 2015 S. 17th Street in Wilmington with the Oleander Branch, located at 3709 Oleander Dr. in Wilmington – approximately 1.35 miles away.”
 
PNC customers can bank through ATMs and other electronic means, and the pandemic only accelerated that trend away from in-person branch visits, Zwiebel added.
 
“Consider that approximately 77% of consumer customers used non-teller channels for the majority of their transactions during the fourth quarter of 2020. Additionally during the fourth quarter, deposit transactions via ATM and mobile channels were 66% of total deposit transactions. These shifts in the way customers are conducting their banking transactions are important inputs that inform our branch consolidation decisions.”
 
In addition to the Oleander Drive location, PNC maintains a branch at 2026 Eastwood Road.