M&T Bank Lets Its Vaccinated Branch Customers Ditch Their Masks

(Bloomberg) -- M&T Bank Corp. will allow vaccinated customers and visitors to go without masks at its bank branches and corporate offices, making it one of the first U.S. lenders to do so following last week’s changes to federal guidelines.

Face coverings will still be required for employees “for the time being,” the company said in an emailed statement. The new rule doesn’t apply in places where it would conflict with state or local guidelines. The company won’t require proof of vaccination.

The Buffalo, New York-based company has more than 700 branches spread across eight states along the East Coast and Washington, D.C. It’s the seventh-largest regional bank by total assets, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Last week, both PNC Financial Services Group Inc. and Regions Financial Corp. said they would continue asking customers and employees to wear masks and socially distance as firms grapple with how to handle the new guidance from public-health officials. Retailing giant Walmart Inc., meanwhile, said fully vaccinated staff and customers can start leaving their masks at home, and Starbucks Corp. dropped a mask requirement for vaccinated customers on May 17, while still requiring staff to wear facial coverings.

Read more: Fauci Says Confusion Over CDC Mask Guidance Must Be Cleared Up

The M&T announcement comes after JPMorgan Chase & Co. told U.S. office staffers that they will no longer be required to wear masks if they’re fully vaccinated, the latest in a series of moves by the largest U.S. bank to revive workplace norms disrupted by the pandemic.

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