Banks need customers not branches

I'm old enough to remember the introduction of the automated teller machine or ATM as we more commonly refer to it.

It had a $50 a day withdrawal limit and it totally changed how we went about getting our hands on our money.

In 2000 I worked on the launch of internet banking for HSBC in London. They were one of the first banks to do this.

Since then we've seen countless bank branch closures. Especially in rural areas.

And as much as I love the idea above by US agency Jackson I can't help thinking it's message of not needing to visit a branch is overshadowed by the technological changes that have slowly but surely removed customer service from the banking industry.

Of course I could just be some old bloke with a touch of melancholia.

But they do say that you don't know what you've got till it's gone.