KeyBank’s Jeannie Fanning on the relationship gap in modern banking
- When efficiency in transaction processing becomes table stakes, what does it mean to truly know a customer?
- KeyBank's Jeannie Fanning addresses a key question and explains why contextual understanding becomes even more critical as financial services move deeper into automation.
Customers increasingly expect digitization, convenience, and self-service for routine banking tasks. But when something goes wrong, they want the reassurance that someone understands their situation and can help them navigate it.
Regional banks are entering a phase where this becomes a competitive advantage as automation deepens. Many are betting that deep customer relationships remain valuable, enabling them to layer context, continuity, and trust onto modern banking infrastructure.
This raises a wider industry question: as banks grow more efficient at processing transactions, what does it actually mean to know a customer?
To explore that question, Tearsheet spoke with Jeannie Fanning, Director of Consumer Relationship Growth at KeyBank, about why relationship banking remains relevant and why contextual understanding may become even more important as financial services become more automated.

Q: In light of the recent Pope anecdote, do you think banks have become too transactional in managing customer relationships?
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