Get Used to Virtual Banking

As foot traffic dwindles, bank branches are closing in record numbers, including those of large institutions and smaller banks. Net closures totaled nearly 1,500 branches last year, according to a recent report by SNL Financial, a financial data firm -- the most since it started monitoring closures in 2002. This is just the beginning of the slide. Celent, a consulting firm, forecasts declines of up to 40% over the next decade.