NEWARK – Despite the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chase Bank opened its new branch in the Newark Shopping Center on Tuesday.
It’s the bank’s fifth branch in Delaware, and a spokeswoman said that Chase expects to open another before the end of the year as well. In the past year, it has also opened branches on Concord Pike, in downtown Wilmington and near the Christiana Mall.
“We’ve been a part of the Delaware community for many years, but recognized an opportunity to add a branch presence to better serve our existing customers and help a whole new group of consumers and businesses achieve their financial goals,” said Arnold Johnson, Chase’s market director for banking for Delaware and Southern New Jersey, in a statement. “We’re always looking for ways to make banking more accessible to businesses and customers, and this branch is a testament to that work. We’re thrilled to be here.”
The new Chase branch includes a drive-up ATM at the front of the shopping center that was already home to a PNC Bank branch.
The openings are part of a wider expansion plan for Chase Bank, which announced last summer that it aimed to open 10-12 branches and more than 20 standalone ATMS in Delaware over the next five years.
That decision from the nation’s largest bank is counter to what Chase’s competitors are doing in terms of shutting branches and reducing hours as more customers turn to digital banking. Chase is aiming to reimagine banking through the use of branch “digital bars,” where customers can plug in their laptops and phones and learn how to use Chase’s online services.
By Jacob Owens
