Customers of regional and national banks switching to other institutions more frequently.

• Position: MARKETING NEWS

CUSTOMERS OF A SAMPLE OF NATIONAL AND REGIONAL BANKS in recent months are increasingly shopping for and switching to new primary banks, according to a bank new-account study done recently by J.D. Power and Associates, Westlake Village, Calif.

The study, which examines the bank shopping and selection process, as well as customer satisfaction with the account initiation and on-boarding processes, finds that 8.7 percent of customers in 2011 indicate they switched their primary banking institution during the past year to a new provider. In comparison, just 7.7 percent said the same in 2010. On average, customers in 2011 say they considered 1.9 banks while shopping--up from an average of 1.6 banks in 2010.

"The increased switching rate indicates more consumers are coming into the market, providing more opportunities for banks to acquire new customers," said Rockwell Clancy, vice president of the financial services practice...