Smaller Footprints, Bigger Risks: Building Security Upgrades for Regional Banks

Large national banks have long invested in a wide range of physical security measures, especially the more visible interventions, like ballistic glazing and bandit barriers.

Meanwhile, credit unions, community, and regional banks have traditionally shied away from these. But smaller banks are facing growing physical threats, and responding accordingly with bullet-resistant building security upgrades.

Three Factors Driving Building Security Upgrades for Smaller and Regional Banks

Based on what we’re hearing from our clients, it seems like three factors are driving the current round of security upgrades for smaller banks and financial institutions.

More Customers, More Branches, More Risk

In some ways, regional banks and credit unions are the victim of their own success. More consumers in growing communities are interested in having a more personal relationship at smaller branches of local banks.

As a result, regional banks and credit unions are building more branches in these expanding communities, primarily in the Southeast and Sun Belt—areas that are experiencing strong population growth and economic expansion overall. As a rule, we’ve found that if a community is growing, so is their need for building security upgrades.

Learn more about how to bulletproof your financial institution with this checklist. 

A Perception of Being Softer Targets

Criminals may be more likely to see credit unions and smaller regional banks as easy marks—and not without reason. While many larger banks and main offices are concentrated in bustling downtowns, an increasing number of these new regional branches are in suburban and rural locations. They are more isolated, less visible , closer to escape routes (like interstate freeway ramps), and located in areas with slower emergency response times.

Regional bank and credit union branches usually have fewer staff, and fewer resources to put toward security measures and training. They tend not to have visible physical security measures like bandit barriers, sophisticated access controls, or armed security, all of which deter criminals. 

Bank Robberies Are Traumatic Incidents

A bank robbery is dramatic and terrifying. Counter workers are almost always victimized, and the robber is usually armed. In a 2022 report, the U.S. Sentencing Commission noted that robbery offenders almost always have more extensive and serious criminal histories than other offenders, with most carrying prior convictions for violent offenses.

And bank robberies are the only kind of robbery where victims are regularly taken hostage. 

Although bank robberies are generally on the decline, they continue to be very lucrative for criminals. According to the FBI’s latest Uniform Crime Report, the average dollar value of property stolen during a non-bank robbery is $1,797.

Meanwhile, the average bank robbery nets $4,213.

That’s more than twice the take—a fact that seems to attract a certain kind of personality. 

Taking a Systems Approach to Building Security Upgrades for Small Banks

We find that smaller bank branches are taking a more comprehensive systems approach to physical security, where interlocking components are deployed in layers.

For example, this might combine alarms and security cameras with physical defensive measures, like bandit barriers and access control, alongside employee training and emergency response planning.

According to the National Credit Union Administration, measures like high-quality and conspicuous surveillance cameras, effective locks, good lighting, and bullet-resistant barriers are all proven deterrents.

Forensic sociologist Rosemary J. Erickson, author of Armed Robbers and Their Crimes, interviewed hundreds of armed robbers and found the top deterrent for both adults and juveniles was bullet-resistant barriers.

Eighty-two percent of the juvenile robbers said they would be deterred by bullet-resistant barriers, and 76% of the adults said they would be deterred.

At TSS, we’ve noted this deterrence effect for decades.

Bank robbers are predominantly violent criminals looking for quick, easy money. A ballistic barrier slows down a robbery and reduces the effectiveness of violence as a means of controlling staff. Armed robbers take one look at all of that gleaming ballistic acrylic and decide to move on to an easier target.

Physical Barrier Solutions for Regional Banks and Credit Unions

Credit unions and regional banks are increasingly considering a two-layer approach to physical security:

These barriers stop smaller caliber bullets—the ones most common in such robberies—while allowing for excellent communication through the barrier during normal operations. Each station is outfitted with a cash tray, and the counters are reinforced with ballistic fiberglass concealed in the millwork.

In many cases, they also include a single bulk pass-thru at one station for the occasional larger transaction. Depending on the building layout, they might also need a basic ballistic door.

Second, they extend their security to exterior windows and the entryway.

They replace the exterior windows and doors with Level 3 glass-clad polycarbonate (GCP) and Level 3 aluminum “storefront”-style doors. Level 3 materials are tested to confirm they’ll protect against the full range of handguns. In the real world, they often outperform that standard, stopping bullets from a wide range of weapons. 

Level 3 GCP also provides enhanced resistance to vandalism and attempts at forced entry.

Some credit unions have been exploring “lockdown” access control solutions. By adding electric strikes to their Level 3 doors, the branch can remotely secure the entrance in situations where staff spot trouble brewing outside.

As an added bonus, securing the exterior windows and entryway vestibule like this can protect ATMs during off hours—an increasingly popular target of thieves.

TSS can integrate multi-layered ballistic glazing projects into new construction, or as a retrofit. We specialize in overnight and weekend installs that are least disruptive to financial institutions.

See how we work with you to help you avoid delays and downtime in this short video.

The Right Time to Act is Before You’re a Headline

Enhancing building security is an investment in safety, reputation, and peace of mind for your staff and customers. At TSS, we use our Proven Process to help you plan, design, manufacture and install these updates. Our specialty is helping you find a solution and working to get it installed in a timely, cost-effective manner, with minimal disruption to your business.

Download our checklist to start planning security updates for your financial institution. 

Have questions?

Please feel free to reach out to our in-house experts and product application specialists to discuss the right building security solutions for you.

If you’re ready to start a project, we can begin preparing a quote today.