Other banks may be getting bigger but First National Bank proudly claims it's getting smaller in a bid to cut down on customer frustration.
Willie Willers, senior general manager in charge of retail banking, says removing crowds from banking halls so that you no longer have to queue to do your business is a priority in FNB's organisational revamp.
You should hardly ever need to go into the bank and when you do, you will not have to move from counter to counter because one person will be able to deal with all your banking needs, he says.
The revamp involves the creation of individual banks focusing on specific niche markets.
The four main ones are Bob Bank, First Commerce, Personal Bank and Private Bank.
* Bob Bank is aimed at customers who are into fast track banking 24 hours a day through the internet and automatic teller machines (ATMs). This "bank" is also pitched at the youth market;
* Customers who need help solving their business problems will be accommodated by First Commerce;
* Consumers earning about R2 500 and more will be banked at FNB's new Personal Bank division; and
* Private Bank is aimed at customers with total assets of about R7 million, where one person will look after your banking needs seven days a week, 24 hours a day. So phoning up your personal banking consultant on a Sunday afternoon won't be a problem.
Two other structures within FNB include First National, which will look after customers outside metropolitan areas and FNB Properties which will focus on property finance for home loans and structured packages for commercial or industrial loans.
The new "banks" are structured around products. This means you will not have to move from one counter to another, to get your banking done.
The aim is to provide you with one solution for all your banking needs.
So when you go into Personal Bank, for example, you will have a multi-skilled customer services consultant and you will be able to transact all your banking through one person.
You may find three banking segments linked up to each other in one building, but mostly they will be stand alone banks, says Willers.
You can still deposit and withdraw money where you please, but for more complicated transactions you may be referred to another branch which offers the expertise needed to deal with your problem.
The process of change started at the end of June and could take two years to complete.
Several of the Personal Banks have already been established and the Bob Banks are also being rolled out around the country.
"Time is not our major priority minimising the impact on our customers is far more important," says Williers.
A major part of FNB's new strategy is to move consumers out of banking halls by encouraging them to use alternative channels such as ATMs, the telephone and the internet.
"We have a strategy to try and bank between 40 and 50 percent of our personal customers by electronic means within four years," says Willers.
The main thing is to convince customers to try telephone banking for the first time. Once they do, they are delighted with the service, he says.
He promises that FNB's transformation won't cost extra money and that if you use the new facilities properly, you could even save on banking charges.
"Charges are reviewed annually according to normal business criteria. Over the medium term, the process of transformation will contain costs.
"In a nutshell, we are aiming to provide our customers with anytime, anyway, anywhere, near-instantaneous banking facilities, "he says.
While the actual charges will not be decreased by moving to electronic banking you can save yourself significant amounts of money.
"The more use you make of electronic banking, the lower your charges will be," he says.