ABA Banking Journal
No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive
SUBSCRIBE
ABA Banking Journal
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home ABA Banking Journal

Avoiding a Smartphone Surprise

September 19, 2018
Reading Time: 4 mins read
Avoiding a Smartphone Surprise

By Hoa Nguyen

A customer walks into a branch to make a routine transaction. When he steps up to the counter, his cell phone is in his hand—not because he was checking out his Instagram while in line, but because he’s pressed “record” and is videotaping his interaction with the teller.

Viral videos of customer interactions gone wrong have stirred controversy nationwide, whether it was a passenger being physically dragged from a United Airlines flight or an arrest of two men at a Starbucks in downtown Philadelphia. Will banks be next?

First United Bank of Madisonville, Ky., had never seen a customer using a cell phone to video an interaction with bank staff. In February of this year, that changed. “This is a first for us, and it definitely caught our employee by surprise,” says Jayne Myers Hundley, SVP for marketing and public relations. Then it happened again a few weeks later.

So how do banks respond when customers use their phones to videotape or take photos of teller interactions? Pictures and videos are considered normal in many circumstances. With the population becoming more and more tech-savvy, banks are facing a variety of unprecedented risks when customers’ use of mobile devices involves capturing banks’ employees and other clients.

First, banks need to make sure no one accidentally catches people on their cameras and compromises their privacy. After that, communicating any policy as well as the security and privacy reasons for it becomes the next challenge.

Candid camera

Perhaps because of the rapid development of photo technology and the numerous departments within the bank that are affected, from operations and security to human resources and marketing, there has not been any industry-wide policy adopted regarding how customers may use their personal devices in the branch, says Heather Wyson-Constantine, VP for bank security policy at ABA.

To get a sense of how banks are addressing this issue, the American Bankers Association Bank Security Committee conducted a survey of its members last fall to determine whether banks have a policy prohibiting customers from recording in-person interactions with branch staff. “The majority of respondents reported they did not have such a policy,” says Wyson-Constantine. Meanwhile, a small share “indicated that they do have a policy in which they do not allow customers to take photos or videos inside their branches and facilities because of the potential for disclosure of sensitive information.”

For United Bank and Capital Trust in Frankfort, Ky., this problem had never come up until its chief marketing officer, Janelda Mitchell, saw a discussion thread on the topic on ABA Bank Marketing Network. Mitchell took the conversation back to her bank staff and found out that, indeed, this issue touches several areas within the bank.

From a customer service perspective, a retail manager who prefers to remain unnamed says that it is tricky business nowadays when people pull out their cell phones and begin filming incidents that are of no concern to them. Even with “No Video Recording” or “No Photos Allowed” signs posted, it doesn’t guarantee that such incident would never happen. “This scares me a bit as I have witnessed many angry customers over the years,” she says. “Social media is so filled with voyeuristic drama that I can imagine one of our interactions being captured by a third party and then posted. It violates everyone’s privacy for certain.”

Policies in place

A risk management officer at United Bank and Capital Trust, on the other hand, views this matter from a security standpoint. “We don’t allow anyone to take photos in our branches for security reasons,” she says. “I would argue this would include video as well.” Her bank’s risk office is in the process of updating its physical security policy to make sure an action plan is in place for when the issue arises. In particular, they will specify the language bank staff can use to alert customers that it is against bank policy to take pictures or video.

As much as it is about managing a reputation risk for the bank itself, according to Mitchell, such a policy is designed to mitigate security risks for branch customers. There are, however, a few circumstances when customers are welcome to take photos and videos in the branch, says Mitchell. These two exceptions include “marketing activities directed and approved by the marketing director” and “security activities directed and approved by the chief security officer.”

After the policy was written, United Bank had retail branch employees trained on it. The communications team sends out newsletters with information about the policy to all employees, given that this issue affects many parts of the bank.

At First United Bank, in a matter of weeks after the second video incident, the bank decided to post signs on the doors prohibiting the use of cameras or video equipment. Under the policy, only authorized photography is permitted at any time on the premises, and even authorized photos need the permission of the subject before they’re distributed publicly.

In addition, the bank held a training session with employees on the steps to take if they see someone using a camera on bank premises. “We supplied talking points and made sure they understood they have the right to confront if they are being photographed or videoed,” says Hundley.

In the long run, banks could avoid unsolicited on-the-record scenarios by training employees to remain professional and respectful at all times, whether the customer has a camera or not. “I do believe that professionalism and polite discourse should be the norm. Not reacting negatively but explaining properly can defuse any situation,” said Mitchell of United Bank.

No Photos, Please!

A sample procedure frontline bank staff can follow to politely address customers who are taking unauthorized photos or video on bank property without permission.

1. When addressing a customer who is taking photos or video with out permission, please smile and be polite. Explain that due to security and confidentiality reasons, unauthorized photography of any kind is not permitted on bank property and ask them to kindly put their phone/camera away.

2. If they refuse, refer to them to signs posted on the doors stating that photography of any kind is prohibited on the premise. If they persist, let them know that this is not public property, it is private property and we have the right to ask them to stop taking photos and/or video.

3. If they continue to refuse, contact a manager. If you are handling a transaction for them, discontinue the service until the issue is resolved.

Hoa Nguyen, a journalist in Washington, D.C., reported this article as an ABA summer intern.

Tags: Physical securityRisk management
ShareTweetPin

Related Posts

OCC’s Gould: Bank regulation should not distract banks from business challenges

Gould suggests easing bank resolution planning requirements

Compliance and Risk
January 16, 2026

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said he sees no benefit in the FDIC continuing to require filings from large banks that detail their suggested orderly resolution in case of a bank failure, known as CIDI plans. He...

Survey: Merchants expand payment options, express interest in crypto

Survey: Merchants expand payment options, express interest in crypto

Newsbytes
January 16, 2026

BNPL is now the fourth most accepted form of payment at small businesses, behind debit or credit cards, digital wallets, and cash. At the same time, merchants express growing interest in cryptocurrency.

Report: Republicans push back against proposed cuts to CDFI Fund

Congress budgets $342M for CDFI Fund in 2026

Community Banking
January 16, 2026

Lawmakers have agreed to budget $324 million for the Community Development Institutions Fund in fiscal year 2026, which would maintain the program’s funding at current levels, according to a conference report released by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Podcast: A Lone Star banking perspective

Podcast: A Lone Star banking perspective

ABA Banking Journal Podcast
January 15, 2026

If Texas were an independent country, its economy would rank as the world's eighth-largest. "France is seventh, and I don't think it'll take as much time at all to catch them," laughs TBA Chairman Ron Butler.

CFPB issues decision on TILA preemption of state laws

Study: FHLBank advances boost community lending

Ag Banking
January 15, 2026

Federal Home Loan Bank advances are “strongly associated” with higher lending across banks and credit unions, particularly following the 2008 financial crisis, according to new research by the Urban Institute.

ABA unveils key policy priorities for 2025

Senate Banking Committee postpones vote on crypto market structure bill

Newsbytes
January 14, 2026

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-S.C.) delayed a scheduled committee vote on cryptocurrency market structure legislation. Banking advocates have sent more than 10,000 letters to Senate offices in recent days calling on Congress to use the bill...

NEWSBYTES

Democratic senators introduce bill to lower credit card late fee cap

January 16, 2026

Gould suggests easing bank resolution planning requirements

January 16, 2026

Survey: Merchants expand payment options, express interest in crypto

January 16, 2026

SPONSORED CONTENT

Seeing More Check Fraud and Scams? These Educational Online Toolkits Can Help

Seeing More Check Fraud and Scams? These Educational Online Toolkits Can Help

November 1, 2025
5 FedNow®  Service Developments You May Have Missed

5 FedNow® Service Developments You May Have Missed

October 31, 2025

Cash, Security, and Resilience in a Digital-First Economy

October 20, 2025
Rethinking Outsourcing: The Value of Tech-Enabled, Strategic Growth Partnerships

Rethinking Outsourcing: The Value of Tech-Enabled, Strategic Growth Partnerships

October 1, 2025

PODCASTS

Podcast: A Lone Star banking perspective

January 15, 2026

Podcast: The incredible shrinking penny (circulation)

January 8, 2026

Podcast: Cybersecurity in a mobile-first banking landscape

December 18, 2025

American Bankers Association
1333 New Hampshire Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036
1-800-BANKERS (800-226-5377)
www.aba.com
About ABA
Privacy Policy
Contact ABA

ABA Banking Journal
About ABA Banking Journal
Media Kit
Advertising
Subscribe

© 2026 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive

© 2026 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved.