Inside Chase Bank's first Nebraska branch, customers can wait in the artfully designed "living room" or peruse the coffee bar.
Such design trends are not all that new as branches attempt to modernize, but at a time when banks across the U.S. have been reducing their physical presence, Chase is making a different move. Already one of America's largest banks, Chase announced plans in 2018 to add 400 branches and enter 15 to 20 new markets across the country.
Its first Nebraska branch opened last year at 14th and P streets, just blocks from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.
But while students might be an obvious focus, Chase says it has 300,000 customers already in place in Nebraska, many of them consumers with credit cards and loans.
And while those consumers have likely conducted most or all of their business with Chase online, bank officials believe a physical presence could change that.
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"We know that banking is digitally focused, which serves as a great convenience for our customers," said Kiley Sidman, Chase market director for banking who oversees Nebraska.
"We also know that every day our customers experience life events where expert advice is needed, and this is where our branches are invaluable," Sidman added. "For example, if homeownership, retirement or saving for college are top of mind for our customers, they want to sit with a banker face-to-face who can lead them through that conversation and guide them through that conversation."
Other large banks, including Bank of America and Wells Fargo, have trimmed their number of bank branches by 10% as Americans of all ages grew more comfortable completing transactions, including deposits, at an ATM or online in recent years.
Overall, the number of U.S. bank branches has shrunk by more than 3,000 since 2010, according to Deloitte, with reductions outpacing additions in more than half of the country's counties.
Nebraska, however, has bucked the trend, with the number of banks and bank branches holding steady for the past decade.
Richard Baier, president and CEO of the Nebraska Bankers Association, said in most cases, banks in the state report seeing less foot traffic. But with strong rural and small-business customer bases, the need for personal relationships remains strong.
And Nebraska banks are looking to expand, Baier said, with rural banks moving into Lincoln and Omaha with new branches, Lincoln banks expanding into Omaha, and Nebraska banks looking for locations across state lines.
In Lincoln, Seward-based Cattle Bank & Trust is opening a fourth Lincoln location at 14th Street and Pine Lake Road, and City Bank & Trust of Crete opened another Lincoln branch at 76th Street and Pioneers Boulevard.
A vibrant economy in Lincoln is driving growth among Lincoln-based banks, as well.
Lincoln Federal Savings Bank, which has been based in downtown Lincoln since 1906, is building a new headquarters at 84th and Van Dorn streets.
"I came to Lincoln in 1990, and right now Lincoln is seeing incredible growth on both the residential and commercial side," said Leo Schumacher, the Lincoln bank's president. "I'm amazed at the number of projects and the people outside of Lincoln interested in coming to town. I'm getting more phone calls than I've ever gotten."
Lincoln Federal Savings, the leading residential lender in Lancaster County, has outgrown its current location at 11th and N streets, Schumacher said. It plans to sell the downtown site after moving to its new 27,000-square-foot headquarters this summer.
Schumacher said bank leaders selected the Firethorn site after considering a headquarters location in south Lincoln. Both are areas of the city likely to see explosive growth.
"I think things are going to grow from 84th toward Eagle in the next 20 years," he said.
The headquarters will be near where many of the bank's home mortgage customers live.
Back downtown, Chase hopes its small branch will help to meet a renewed demand for bank branch business.
"We are here to serve all customers, including personal and business customers," Sidman said. "We want to partner with our community to continue to make Lincoln a great place to live and work."