New regulation, deleveraging, and a difficult macro-environment have conspired to produce a “no growth zone” in retail financial services.  In the 8 quarters since the financial crisis abated, pre-provision net revenue growth for all FDIC-regulated banks has been an astonishing negative two percent (-2%) – a trend unprecedented in the modern era of banking.

The bottom line?  In an environment like this, for any of us to grow and generate returns that are attractive to shareholders we will need to differentiate our brands and steal market share.

The most creative executives in our industry are tackling this challenge head-on. They are pushing the frontiers of their current marketing, product, and delivery models – and where that doesn’t work, they are inventing new ones.  Strategies they are pursuing include:

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