Branch Locator

Branch locator is a tool available on most bank websites these days. It gives you the precise location of any bank across the country. It does not matter if you have changed your city or shifted locally. Branch locator can tell you exactly where you have to go to meet your requirements. Some branch locators are also integrated with ATM locators that help you to find the ATM of respective bank.

To use a branch locator, you have to go the specific bank’s website and choose the option which says branch locator. Here, you have to keep in mind that the branch locator of each bank only displays its own branches.

You have to enter some details in the required fields including your city, state and locality. You can also move one step ahead by choosing the advanced options and locate the nearest branch as per your requirements. The advanced options generally have two fields, i.e. branch type and branch according to service. You can choose the options in these two fields as per your requirements. The primary benefit of choosing advanced options is that it narrows down your area of search and helps you find the exact branch you are looking for.

For instance, the branch type filed on ‘SBI Branch Locator’ contains a list of the options such as:

• Agri DEV
• CAG Branch
• Capital Market Branch
• Central Processing Centre
• Commercial Branch
• Corporate Centre
• FI-DAU
• Industrial State
• Industrial Finance Branch
• Local Head Office
• Main Branch
• NRI Branch
• Overseas Branch
• Personal Banking Branch
• Regional Office (RBO/OLRO)
• Regular Branch
• Rehabilitation and Recovery Branch
• Securities and Services Branch
• Service Branch
• Simplified Accounting Branch
• SME Branch
• Special Branch
• Special Housing Finance Branch
• Stressed Assets Recovery Branch
• Training Establishment
• Treasury Branch
• Zonal Office

On the other hand, the branch service option of SBI Branch Locator contains services such as Gold Banking, Locker and Sunday Banking.

Note: The services and types of branches may differ as per the particular bank as not all the banks are similar in nature and they do not offer comparable services.

To locate a particular bank branch, you can try and choose some other options as well. You can visit Google Maps and search for the branch in any of the specific area. Google Maps can pinpoint you towards the location of the branch with contact information, directions, traffic situation, and availability of public conveyance.

Another available option is to use the online directories. Such directories usually contain databases of public offices, banks, etc. These directories also have complete information about the branches, their most senior officials and contact information.

There are some banks with a wide reach in the country and are also preferred by customers because of their extended presence and quality products and services. Some interesting facts about popular public and private sector banks are given here.

• SBI (State Bank of India): SBI is an Indian multinational public sector bank owned by the Government of India. This is the biggest bank in the country terms of assets and number of customers. After the merger of five of its associate banks, SBI is among the top 50 global banks with a balance sheet worth $33 trillion, 420 million customers, 2,78,000 employees, and more than 24,000 domestic branches and 191 overseas offices in 36 countries, and approx. 59,000 ATMs. SBI was ranked in the list of Fortune Global 500 in 2016.
• PNB (Punjab National Bank): PNB can be considered as the second largest Indian multinational bank in the country. PNB also covers a large population involved in the banking sector of the country which is about 80 million customers in 764 cities through 6,937 branches. The bank also has more than 10,681 ATMs. PNB also has a number of international branches in countries such as the UK (seven branches), China and Hong Kong, the UAE (United Arab Emirates), Kazakhstan, Norway, Australia, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan. In Bhutan, Nepal and Kazakhstan, PNB owns a significant percentage of the established and popular banks that have several branches in these countries.
• BOB (Bank of Baroda): The bank is named after its location, Baroda which is now called Vadodara. BOB is also a state-owned multinational public sector bank that has a significant presence in the country. The bank is ranked 2000^th in the Forbes Global 2000 list with a number of 5,538 branches (India and abroad), 10,441 ATMs and assets worth $3.58 trillion. Since 1958, the bank has merged total 10 banks including Hind Bank Ltd., New Citizens Bank of India Ltd., Surat Banking Corporation, Tamil Nadu Central bank, Umbergaon, People Bank, Traders Bank Limited, Bareilly Corporation Bank Ltd., Benares State Bank Ltd., South Gujrat Local Area Bank Ltd., and Memon Cooperative Bank Ltd.
• ICICI: ICICI Bank is the country’s largest private sector multinational banking and financial services company. It offers a wide array of financial services both for corporate and retail customers. The bank has numerous delivery channels and specialised subsidiaries in the field of investment banking. ICICI was also India’s largest bank in terms of assets and 3^rd in terms of market capitalisation in 2014. The bank has a noteworthy presence in the country with 4,850 branches and 14,404 ATMs. Internationally, the bank has presence in 18 countries including the UK, Canada, the United States, Singapore, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Oman, China, South Africa, UAE, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia.