Deposit relief or chasing deposits?

Banks received a reprieve at the end of 2025 as decreases in interest rates from the Federal Reserve coincided with a decrease in deposit pricing, helping to improve net interest margins. Banks can’t get complacent as competition is increasing and loan growth, while improving, remains somewhat spotty. Banks will have to make decisions about relationship value as it relates to tighter or looser pricing around deposits. Aside from deposit pricing, larger banks such as JPMorgan, Bank of America, and PNC have gone back to adding new bank branches to increase deposits and market share. Why are they doing this? What markets are they targeting? What is the enduring value of branches? This episode reviewed an article from Bank Director titled “What deposit relief is really telling banks about 2026” and a blog post from PCBB titled “Chasing deposits through branch openings.” Links to both the article and blog post are included below. Link: What Deposit Relief Is Really Telling Banks About 2026 | Bank Director Link: Chasing Deposits Through Branch Openings