Dignitaries gathered at 31 Main Street in Hempstead for a recent grand opening of the 3,570-foot space equipped with the latest technology — but this wasn’t a typical store.
Citibank on May 7 cut the ribbon on a new branch with a new design complete with treats from Nita’s Pastries, Flowers by Manny, and giveaways.
“These branches showcase the best of Citi,” Citi New York Metro Region Head Scott Stokes said of the “modern and flexible designs” to offer clients a “welcoming space to meet” with staff. “They will serve as places for connection, growth and opportunity through events, educational programming and more.”
The opening is the latest in a redesigned bank branch boom despite rumors of brick-and-mortar’s demise amid the rise of virtual banking.
Stokes said the new branches are part of “Citi’s commitment to community.” Citibank operates 54 branches on Long Island, including 41 throughout Nassau County, investing more than $70 million through the Citi Foundation across the New York Metropolitan area to support nonprofits and local programs.
Citi’s Hempstead opening came just days after the bank relocated a 4,000-square-foot Holbrook branch with a similar design as part of what the company called a “broader investment in the branch network across the New York region.”
And other banks such as Citizens and TD Bank both said they have been investing and expanding branch networks on Long Island.
“Citizens is committed to continuously upgrading its physical footprint within the community,” Citizens’ Head of Retail Banking Nuno Dos Santos said. “Our branches continue to play a vital role in how we serve our customers.”
For Citizens, serving customers isn’t about either brick and mortar or online, but about convenience through both.
“At the heart of modern retail banking is understanding that customers want flexibility,” Dos Santos said. “They desire the convenience of digital banking for everyday tasks, coupled with the reassurance of a physical branch for significant financial moments or in-person customer service to resolve an issue.”
While opening branches is one way to grow, buying branch networks does it even faster. Citizens expanded in the region in 2022, by acquiring HSBC’s East Coast branches and New Jersey-based Investors Bank. Citizens now has 174 branches in the tristate area, including 20 on Long Island with 12 in Nassau County and eight in Suffolk County.
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TD Bank, meanwhile, renovated nine local branches since 2023 with an additional nine planned for 2026.
“Consumers still desire a physical space where they can meet with a person face-to-face for banking information,” said Alan Nossen, TD Bank retail market president for New York City, Long Island, and Fairfield, Conn.
He added that bank customers want “a seamless experience, which means they want to make their own choices about how to best interact with their bank.”
“Banks must provide the best digital offerings possible while also maintaining a strong in-person and contact center presence,” Nossen said.
The proof of the practice is in where people are putting their deposits. Nearly 80% of Citizens’ new accounts are opened in branches, “underscoring the continued importance of in-person interaction,” according to Dos Santos.
From June 2023 to June 2024, Citizens saw New York metro retail deposits grow by about 9%. In 2024 the bank saw “strong retail deposit growth” of 8% year over year in the New York metro area.
Nossen said routine visits declined, but branches are now “hubs for deeper financial conversation, offering the trust and guidance customers seek during life’s most complex decisions.”
“As part of our renovation efforts, TD Bank is planning to include more private spaces to discuss financial futures with bankers,” he added. “This includes dedicated spaces for financial advisors to have private conversations about financial and retirement planning, as well as additional offices for personal banking customers and small business customers to meet with our colleagues.
“We’re also upgrading our digital signage technology inside and outside stores to inform customers about products and services that reflect the needs of the specific community,” Nossen said. “We’re launching new menu boards to welcome customers into our stores and to celebrate the community.”
TD Bank is replacing most standard posters with new digital signage and the use of what they call “celebration mode,” allowing workers to display messages to customers “celebrating milestones such as birthdays and anniversaries.”
In addition to space Citi, and other banks, are working with community groups, offering programs themselves and with others.
“We believe that when women are empowered economically, entire communities thrive,” said Martha Maffei, of SEPA Mujer, which seeks to assist Latina immigrant women on Long Island. “It is a shared commitment to advancing equity and opportunity for the communities that we serve.”
Citizens calls its branches “critical relationship centers, where trust is built, financial goals are shaped, and digital engagement often begins.” “The physical presence also influences digital adoption, underscoring the effectiveness of our hybrid model,” according to Citizens.
Citi said the branch is designed to include space for community programs. They recently hosted a Homebuyer Seminar in both Spanish and English and in April partnered with the Leadership Training Institute for a session on budgeting, saving, and credit.
“Breaking down the barriers people believe exist to having a relationship with a bank that will support them on their financial journey is what this opening and this branch represent,” Citi’s Head of U.S. Community Relations Michelle Thornhill said.
