Ampersand, a financial services firm, released its second annual Depositor Priorities Survey report. Bank safety and soundness continues to be a key theme of this report, with nine out of 10 depositors voicing concern about bank safety and bank failures, while a key change from last year’s report highlights that depositors are significantly prioritizing liquidity.

A few key findings include:

• 9 out of 10 depositors cite concerns about the safety of their deposits. 7 in10 depositors have gone as far as to make changes to their deposit behavior in recent years because of this concern.
• Depositors state that their experience with their financial institution would be vastly improved if they were assured of liquidity. 43% of depositors surveyed cite this as a key concern for them as they review their banking practices for the future.
• Bank loan requirements continue to be a major issue for depositors. 61% of respondents say that they are limited in their ability to select a financial institution because of loan requirements, a dramatic increase from last year’s survey where 28% of respondents reported the same.
• Alignment with depositors’ values is increasingly important. 88% of financial services professionals agree that demand for values-based banking products has increased in recent years, with 9 in 10 depositors stating they are willing to give up a portion of their return if their financial institution can guarantee deposit safety while being values aligned.

“Year over year, we can see that bank safety and soundness continues to be a top priority for depositors across a variety of sectors,” Kelly A Brown, chairman and CEO of Ampersand, said. “Additionally, this year’s survey reveals further pain points we know have been an issue for some time – like loan requirements, and the process that depositors must undertake if they want to change financial institutions. At Ampersand, we’re uniquely poised to help depositors address their safety concerns while maximizing rate and minimizing management time. It’s our goal to partner with our clients to make their deposit experience as seamless as possible.”

The full survey results, based on responses from leading executives and senior managers across industries involved in deposit administration, can be found here.