Rivel Banking Research
Independent research from more than 220,000 consumer and small-business interviews a year, benchmarked against the institutions in your footprint—so you can make growth and retention decisions on market evidence, not a national average dressed up as a market.
No form required for the sample report. Personalized market research starts with a conversation.
Local-market intelligence
Rivel Banking Research independently measures how consumers and small businesses perceive your financial institution and the competitors around it. The result is a local view of awareness, consideration, experience, switching behavior and market opportunity.
Use the research to see where your institution is winning, where competitors have an advantage, which audiences are open to change and which findings deserve leadership attention.
Questions the interviews already answer
Bank and credit union leaders rarely need more data. They need better answers to the decisions in front of them. Open the finding. Then talk to us if you want the numbers for your own market.
Awareness is not consideration. Most institutions are recognized by far fewer people than they think.
Brand tracking 02About 33% of consumers are open to switching their primary bank at any given time. The usual trigger is a life event, not a rate ad.
Why customers switch 03National averages hide the only comparison that matters: the institutions in your market. See what a local benchmark actually looks like.
See a sample local benchmark 04Demand, vulnerability, branch, digital and small-business opportunity—mapped to the footprint you advertise in.
Ask about market opportunity 05Look beyond impressions and clicks. Spend can raise awareness and still leave you off the list people actually use.
Beyond brand awareness 06Test products, campaigns, messages and experiences directly with the audiences they are intended to influence.
Focus groupsThe financial relationship journey
A consumer can know your name and still never consider your institution. Rivel follows the market from perception through behavior so leaders can see where growth is being won, where it is being lost and what to do next.
01 — Awareness
Measure aided and unaided awareness and understand how visible your institution is within the markets you serve.
02 — Consideration
See which institutions consumers would consider, what perceptions influence that consideration and where your institution stands relative to competitors.
03 — Selection
Understand the needs, experiences, products, reputation and other factors influencing the final decision.
04 — Experience
Benchmark the customer or member experience and identify strengths, pain points and opportunities to deepen the relationship.
05 — Loyalty & Growth
Understand satisfaction, loyalty, product needs and opportunities to strengthen existing relationships.
06 — Vulnerability
Identify the attitudes, experiences and circumstances associated with openness to another financial institution.
Banking research findings
Rivel’s ongoing research reveals how consumers and businesses choose, use and evaluate their financial institutions. Explore our latest findings on growth, relationships, brand, trust, switching behavior and the evolving expectations shaping banking decisions.
That rises to about 37% among Millennials. They rarely wake up and shop—they move when life changes: a move, a child, a first home, a new job—and another institution is already in the conversation. Word of mouth is still the most influential channel. Timing beats the offer.
Source: Rivel Banking Research, Banking on Life, April 2025.
Name recognition is not the same as being in the running. Rivel's research shows smaller and regional institutions outperforming larger brands on trust, relevance and clarity despite far smaller marketing budgets. That is what gets them onto the list.
Source: Rivel Banking Research, Beyond Brand Awareness, Q1 2025.
Much of the evaluation happens before anyone contacts a branch or a call center. Among Millennials and Gen Z that reliance rises to 88%.
Source: Rivel Banking Research, Doing Your Homework: Why Online Reviews Matter for Banking Decisions.
The expensive mistake is launching the message, the product or the experience and learning in market. Focus groups put real consumers in front of the work first.
How Rivel works
Interviews with consumers and small businesses—not your CRM, not a panel that already likes you.
The same households are asked about you and about the banks and credit unions in your footprint.
Findings come with the narrative leadership can use: where you stand, where you’re weak and what to do next.
From a community bank marketing leader
“We had previously partnered with another provider that only looked at national data, which was hard because it was never apples to apples. Knowing the data we receive from you is local allows me to feel comfortable making strategy decisions and sharing with the board.”
Research standards
Every benchmark is built from independent interviews with consumers and small businesses in the markets an institution actually competes in, so results reflect local reality rather than a national average.
Research in practice
A community bank saw potential among microbusiness owners—businesses too sophisticated for consumer solutions but not well-served by traditional commercial banking.
The problem
The question wasn't whether the opportunity existed. The bank needed to know what these businesses actually wanted, what they would pay for and how the offering should be positioned.
Our approach
Rivel ran a two-phase design:
The outcome
The bank came away with a clear direction on product packaging, positioning and messaging for the microbusiness audience.
The team
Our team develops the benchmarks, conducts the research and works directly with banks and credit unions to turn the findings into action.
— Rivel's Banking Research team
Corey Wrinn on LinkedIn
Managing Director,
Rivel Banking Research
Melissa Randi on LinkedIn
Marketing Director,
Rivel Banking Research
Livia Chandler on LinkedIn
Senior Manager of Client Development,
Rivel Banking Research
Emily Riecke on LinkedIn
Consultant,
Rivel Banking Research
Cynfor Lu on LinkedIn
Senior Research Analyst,
Rivel Banking Research
Socheata Thai on LinkedIn
Senior Research Analyst,
Rivel Banking Research
Jessica Lassandro on LinkedIn
Account Manager,
Rivel Banking Research
Connect with Corey
Have a question about your market?
Bring Corey the question your team is trying to answer and he will tell you what the research can show.
Industry publications
In the publications bankers already read. Rivel's banking research and bylines appear in The Financial Brand™ and Bank Director®, and Rivel's experts join the ABA podcast on customer trust and loyalty.
Rivel's own findings and reports are published on this site—see the banking research findings. The articles below appeared in third-party banking publications.
Latest articles
Please note that these links will open articles on The Financial Brand or Bank Director websites.
On the ABA Podcast
FAQs
The research
Rivel Banking Research conducts primary market research among consumers and small businesses to help banks and credit unions understand their brand, competitors, customers, prospects and growth opportunities. It combines large-scale recurring market measurement with local competitive benchmarking and custom quantitative and qualitative research. See the banking research findings.
Rivel conducts more than 220,000 consumer and small-business interviews a year—the largest syndicated banking study of its kind—with more than 5,000 financial institutions represented. See how the research is built.
Rivel's syndicated research is designed for local-market intelligence rather than national averages. In most markets, reporting is available down to the ZIP-code level, showing how perceptions and behaviors differ within an institution's own footprint. See a sample local report.
No. No customer or member lists or personally identifiable information are required. Rivel independently identifies consumers, customers, members and prospects within the market. Read the research standards.
With third-party perception research measured against your actual local peers—awareness, consideration, trust, service and technology—refreshed every six months so you see movement, not snapshots. Explore brand tracking & benchmarking.
The results
Not usually because of a rate ad. About 33% of consumers are open to switching at any given time, and the trigger is most often a life event—a move, a new job, a first home—that makes an established relationship reconsidered. Read the complete research: Why Customers Switch Banks
Consumers approaching major life events, and younger consumers most of all. About 33% of consumers are open to switching at any time, rising to about 37% among Millennials. See the switching research.
Word of mouth leads: recommendations from friends and family are the most influential factor when consumers choose a new institution or product. Public reputation matters alongside it—78% of banking consumers use online reviews when choosing where to bank. Read the reviews research (PDF).
When awareness, consideration and brand perception move against your local norms—not just when clicks do. Third-party tracking shows whether the market's view of you is actually changing. Read Beyond Brand Awareness.
See the full banking research FAQ—scope, methodology, reporting and focus groups
Explore the latest research, analysis and ideas helping banks and credit unions stay ahead in a changing market.
Get started
National banking trends tell you what is happening broadly. Your strategy depends on what is happening where you compete. Tell us a bit about your institution and what you're looking to learn, and Rivel's banking research team will come back with personalized insights.
Not ready for a conversation?
View the sample prospect report instead.
