Annual Survey Finds Hispanic Banking Experience Improving, but Long-Standing Preferences Result in Missed Savings Opportunities

Latin America - español

Survey shows 30 percent of Hispanic banking customers used a check cashing service in the past three months

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Oct 07, 2014, 09:00 ET

CHERRY HILL, N.J., Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank^®, today released its second annual TD Bank Checking Experience Index survey which found that the Hispanic banking experience has improved in the past year. According to the Index, 84 percent of Hispanic consumers consider their day-to-day experience with their checking accounts excellent or very good (compared with 80 percent in 2013).

Although most Hispanic consumers have a checking account and are generally happy with their bank's services, 30 percent of survey respondents said they have used a check cashing service within the past three months, followed by 28 percent who used money transfer agents. The TD Bank Checking Experience Index is a nationwide survey of more than 1,500 consumers, including more than 500 Hispanics, with checking accounts at various financial institutions.

"Nearly all (95 percent) of Hispanic consumers surveyed currently have a checking account, but some still use alternative banking services," said Ryan Bailey, Executive Vice President, Head of Retail Deposit and Payment Products, TD Bank. "Consumers should speak with their bank to help identify the most appropriate services to help them meet their everyday financial needs."

Human Interaction, Accessibility are Important
When asked about their primary checking accounts and day-to-day banking needs, Hispanic consumers ranked their financial institutions as having friendly and helpful service (82 percent), accessibility (79 percent) and making day-to-day banking easier (78 percent) as being excellent or very good.

The top five ranked banking services which Hispanic consumers said were either excellent or very good were:

Debit card or check card (84 percent)
Easy to use online banking (83 percent)
Online bill pay (81 percent)
Online account-to-account transfers within your bank (79 percent)
Convenient banking hours (73 percent)

More than half (59 percent) of Hispanic consumers said that availability of materials in Spanish for their primary checking accounts and day-to-day banking needs was either excellent or very good.

Alternative Preferences with Modern Banking Behaviors
Check cashing services are still commonly used by Hispanic consumers, despite having a bank account. Of the 30 percent of Hispanic survey respondents who reported using check cashing services, they cited the following reasons for using them:

Cashing a check (19 percent)
Convenience (13 percent)
Need for cash (12 percent)

Of the 28 percent of Hispanic consumers who used money transfer agents, they did so to transfer/send money to friends/relatives (14 percent) and transfer/send money out of the USA (13 percent).

Regional Differences: New York City and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale
Based on the results of the Index, Hispanics in New York City and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale have similarities and differences with their banking behavior:

More Hispanic consumers in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale have checking accounts compared with Hispanic consumers in New York City (98 percent versus 88 percent)
Hispanic consumers in New York City reported using a check cashing service in the past three months than those in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area (56 percent versus 40 percent)
More Hispanic consumers in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale have used money transfer agents (74 percent) than those in New York City (69 percent)
Prepaid card usage for day-to-day purchases in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale (40 percent) is significantly higher than Hispanics in New York City (13 percent)
Most Hispanic survey respondents in New York City use prepaid cards for online purchases (63 percent)
More Hispanic consumers in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale rated their bank as excellent and/or very good (83 percent) compared to those in New York City (73 percent)
Hispanic respondents in both markets said that the debit/check card is essential and can't imagine not having this service (69 percent New York City, 64 percent Miami/Ft. Lauderdale)

Survey Methodology
The study was conducted among a nationally representative group of consumers from August 25 through September 1, 2014. The sample size of 1,510 consumers has a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percent. The survey was hosted by global research company Angus Reid Public Opinion.

About Angus Reid Public Opinion
Angus Reid Public Opinion is the Public Affairs practice of Vision Critical—a global research company. Vision Critical is a leader in the use of the Internet and rich media technology to collect high-quality, in-depth insights for a wide array of clients.

About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 8 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at approximately 1,300 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth^®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD". To learn more, visit www.td.com.

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SOURCE TD Bank