Meaningful shifts in 2013 among both large and regional banks put them on a collision course where it is becoming more difficult to differentiate bank brands.

For most banks, negative press has subsided in the aftermath to the financial crisis.

Large banks, which made substantial strides in repairing broad favorability and especially trust among their customers, appear to be finally "catching up" to higher quality regional providers. These banks did not suffer reputationally to the extent that the large banks did and maintain brand leadership.

Overall, banks like BB&T and Comerica lead in terms of brand favorability and trustworthiness. Both of these banks won Greenwich Best Brand Awards for Trust in the middle market. 

In our previous Greenwich Insight, Ease of Doing Business is now the single most important driver of banking relationship quality. Those that are able to market and deliver on Ease of Doing Business will likely gain a strategic advantage.

Bottom Line: Brand collision as big banks rapidly improve service quality while many regional banks increasingly cede the high ground on relationship quality - a situation that commands a strategy differentiation.