After consultation with the association’s executive committee, American Bankers Association President and CEO Rob Nichols wrote member banks, urging all of them to adopt a policy requiring anyone entering a branch to wear a mask or face covering.
Nichols said in a release that the move would be taken to protect the health of bank employees and customers.
“Requiring the use of masks and face coverings is a step every bank can take to ensure that our industry is doing everything it can to protect our employees, customers and the communities we serve,” Nichols stated. “We owe it to frontline bank staff to prioritize their safety and to contribute to the wider effort to limit the spread of this infection.”
As banks have remained open through the pandemic as essential services, ABA noted the number of safety measures the industry has taken to protect the health of staff and customers. Those include closing branch lobbies, expanding drive-through lanes, allowing employees to work from home, and driving customer use of online and digital banking tools.
ABA Senior Vice President for Risk Management Paul Benda has led the association’s effort to respond to the pandemic. Benda previously worked at the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, where he oversaw the Pentagon program to defend against chemical and biological weapons.
“We have seen a significant increase in online banking across the country, but we realize some customers occasionally need to visit a branch and some prefer it,” Benda stated. “The data clearly show that wearing a mask or face covering when indoors reduces the threat of infection for everyone, which is why we are urging banks of all sizes to adopt this policy.”
Benda has helped ABA members by providing guidance and leading practices to member banks and coordinating with federal banking regulators, public health officials and industry leaders trying to ensure the safety of customers and bank personnel.