SourceMedia and its flagship brand American Banker have published “Making Wealth Management Work,” a new research report that explores the acceleration of banks’ interest and activity in the business of wealth management.
Based on a June 2014 SourceMedia study of more than 200 executives and decision makers at U.S. banking institutions of all sizes, the report shows that among banks that do not currently offer wealth management services, one in four are planning to enter this business in the next two years motivated by a dearth of revenue growth opportunities elsewhere as well as the prospect of improved customer retention.
Among the report’s other key findings:
- Retirement planning services is far and away the top area of interest for future wealth management entrants. The case for retirement services is a compelling one — among banks already offering wealth management, retirement services were the area most often cited as providing moderate to strong revenue growth in recent years.
- Despite the appeal, critical hurdles await prospective wealth management entrants. While nonparticipants in the business often expressed concern about scale and regulatory issues, incumbents had a somewhat different take on the barriers to success.
- Bankers cited branch networks are a key asset in the delivery of wealth management services. Even so, many have adopted a flexible approach to staffing, showing that success need not always require committing to full-time staffing in individual branches.
“The wealth management trend is another indicator of profound change in the financial services industry. We continue to gain deeper levels of insights into this market through our ongoing research of this audience as it reveals the influences of competitive, economic, demographic, regulatory, and technology trends that are reshaping this industry,” said Dana Jackson, SourceMedia’s Executive Director of Research and Data.
“Making Wealth Management Work” is the second report in SourceMedia’s Ideas + Actions Research Report series. Ideas + Actions reports are available for individual purchase or by subscription. More information is available at: http://www.americanbanker.com/research/making-wealth-management-work-1068634-1.html.
About SourceMedia Research
SourceMedia Research, a unit of SourceMedia, provides research solutions for marketers, agencies and others targeting business sectors such as banking, payments, mortgage, accounting, insurance, employee benefits and investment advisor / wealth management. SourceMedia Research specializes in reaching senior and C-level decision makers through access to its large proprietary opt-in databases and panels.
About SourceMedia
SourceMedia, an Observer Capital company, is a diversified business-to-business digital media company serving senior professionals in the financial, technology, and healthcare sectors. Brands include American Banker, The Bond Buyer, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Planning, On Wall Street, Accounting Today, Health Data Management, and Employee Benefit News. Information about SourceMedia is available athttp://www.sourcemedia.com.
Corporate Contact:
Melianthe Kines
Director of Audience Development
212-803-8335
melianthe.kines@sourcemedia.com