InTouch with Southern Kentucky June 2020 | Page 21

More people may be using online
apps, or using the drive-thru areas
more often, but all three agree that
their banks have remained busy despite
closing their lobbies to casual
banking traffic.
With more customers being forced
to learn how to bank online or use
alternate ways of paying, such as
Apple Pay, it might be possible that
after pandemic restrictions have lifted
those customers may continue
to use those forms of banking out of
the sheer convenience of it.
It’s an idea that both Bloomer and
Noftsger brought up.
“I haven’t heard anyone who is
using the new systems saying they
hate it,” Noftsger said.
Bloomer added that he definitely
noticed a trend of customers taking
advantage of online banking, ATMs
and other electronic avenues.
“It changed banking as far as how
we approach it here,” Bloomer said,
meaning that the changes made to
limit in-person banking made them
think about how to continue helping
customers remotely.
There are many ways of electronic
banking that have become popular
over the last couple of months,
Noftsger said, including remote
deposit capture, where someone
could deposit a check “sitting at
their desk” at work without having
to come into the bank to do it.
From the first restrictions placed
It changed
banking as far as
how we approach
it here.
Don Bloomer
CNB President and CEO
on schools and businesses, Governor
Andy Beshear made it clear
that social distancing was the key
to stemming the spread of COVID-19
throughout the Bluegrass. As early
as March 10, Beshear was making
changes to in-person visits, including
nursing homes and prisons,
and suggesting that businesses let
employees work from home if possible.
By March 16, the governor was
signing the order to cease in-person
dining at all restaurants, and over
the next few day, other businesses
were closed down completely or
closed to in-person consultation.
Through it all, banks were deemed
an essential business and allowed to
continue operation, but around the
commonwealth, Pulaski included,
banks agreed to close their lobbies
to all but the most essential
services.
The representatives of all three
banks said that customers could
call to make appointments for specific
need. Those include access to
lockboxes – with both Bloomer and
June 2020 In Touch with Southern Kentucky • 21