WELCOME, CUSTOMERS BANKS, ONCE WORRIED ABOUT SECURITY, WORK TO PROMOTE SOCIAL ATMOSPHERE.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

Security guards are no longer the standard first encounter for anyone entering a Washington Mutual branch these days. Try a concierge replete with smiles and helpful advice for the bank's customers.

It's all part of an industrywide move to enliven the often drab experience of walking into a bank. Forget about the bulletproof glass - welcome to Washington Mutual's occasio branch. That's Latin for ``favorable moment.''

The Internet - and in a broader sense, banks themselves - have been so effective in channeling consumers away from branches that bank workers are now working to improve their social skills.

``There's been a pendulum swing in the opposite direction. Banks are now attracting the customer back to a loungelike atmosphere,'' said Tracey Mills, spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C.-based American Bankers Association.

Seattle-based Washington Mutual introduced its occasio format about two years ago in Las Vegas, doing away with the conventional concept of banking by trying to create a more personable environment.

Washington Mutual's metamorphosis is evident as soon as one enters the bank. A concierge is on hand to direct customers to the appropriate line, be it for withdrawals and deposits, home loans, insurance, investments or business banking.

The tellers are not behind glass - nor behind a large counter, manning individual windows. It's banking world meets theater-in-the-round, with each teller situated in a circle bordered by work stations equipped with flat-screen monitors and automated cash dispensers.

When Anita Keoshin, 72, walked into Washington Mutual's Newbury Park branch last week, it was like entering a social club. She was welcomed by the concierge and the bank's general manager, then ushered toward the deposit and withdrawal line.

``I love it here,'' she said. ``It's nice to be in an environment where everyone is so friendly and willing to help you.''

So far, Washington Mutual has opened 464 occasio branches nationwide, most of them in California and Texas. The bank plans to open 230 more this year.

Mark Benhard, a vice president, said it's difficult to drop a bank's persona completely, though occasio branches have certain features that will challenge the stodgy stereotype.

There's an extensive playground at the bank, with video games and picture books awaiting customers and their kids. A shelf just behind the concierge displays a colorful assortment of piggy banks, which cost $12 apiece. And then there are the female and male teller action dolls, wearing Washington Mutual uniforms with teller tote bags and cell phones. The dolls retail for $17.95.

``I have heard people talking about these occasio branches like you're at a Gap with the high-pressure sales tactics,'' said Paul Miller, analyst with Friedman, Billings, Ramsey in Arlington, Va. ``But in most cases, these new branches are eliminating the coldness that has been associated with banking in the past.''

Washington Mutual's commercial appeal has been embraced by other majors in the industry. Wells Fargo began attaching its banks to Starbucks in an attempt to create a virtually seamless relationship between coffee culture and tending to finances. The San Francisco-based bank is also searching for a cultural identity, injecting Latino and African-American motifs into the decor of their branches.

``We want to help people feel more comfortable when they're walking into one of our banks,'' said Mary Trigg, a Wells Fargo spokeswoman. ``And that includes being more in touch with the communities we serve.''

Bank of America has also developed new design features, focusing its energies on a more retail-oriented feel. Like Washington Mutual, the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank has introduced a concierge station.

``The new design eliminates the platform look of a bank, giving in to a more modular and modern look,'' said Ashleigh Adams, a Bank of America spokeswoman.

But throwing away the conservative cornerstones of banking culture also has its drawbacks. For example, Washington Mutual's occasio branches no longer have a counter or wall of glass separating a would-be robber from the teller. Washington Mutual customer Gina Clark, 41, finds that characteristic distressing.

``You're standing so close to the teller. Someone could easily get right up in the teller's face and that wouldn't be good,'' she said.

Erin Johnson, a Newbury Park teller, agreed that she was a little uncomfortable with the bank's new format. ``But given the neighborhood, I feel pretty safe here,'' she said. ``Standing so close to the customer just takes a little time to feel comfortable.''

Washington Mutual executives say they aren't concerned about the close contact with customers because the branches do not contain large vaults and the tellers aren't handling the money to begin with. Several also have security vestibules - a set of double doors - allowing only one customer at a time to enter the bank. Other security measures are in place, bank representatives said, but cannot be divulged.

Mills said security is always a priority for banks, but paying more attention to the customer has become a significant driver.

``The banking industry is taking their cue from other retail establishments. Branches are keeping longer hours as more and more banks attempt to build stronger relationships with their communities,'' she said.

Evan Pondel, [phone]

evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com

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3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 3 -- color) Washington Mutual bank teller Jennifer Felburg helps a customer make a withdrawal without ever handling money at the branch in Newbury Park. Need a more personal kind of bank? Washington Mutual offers shelves of old-fashioned piggy banks, top, to choose from. Below, Matt Nordquist, 10, of Newbury Park plays a video game at Washington Mutual while his mother does her banking.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer