November 07, 2008

Since the financial crisis erupted, U.S. banks have been notably eager to reassure their customers. You can see it in their advertising, which typically features a variation of: Trust us. Your money is safe.
Behind the scenes, harried spin doctors are enlisting tellers, call-center jockeys, and loan officers in a massive charm offensive. The goal: to persuade people not to yank their cash and stuff it under the mattress. "We need to be sensitive to what's going on with people," says Tom Kelly, a communications manager at JPMorgan Chase (JPM).
Kelly, who says he has been working 13-hour days, describes a "neck-snapping pace." The going got especially hectic on Sept. 25, when JPMorgan agreed to buy Washington Mutual. Kelly knew WaMu branches and call centers on the West Coast were still open. He mass-e-mailed employees a script bewildered WaMu staff could use to soothe customers.