Mellon presented a plan to employees this week that might be the wave of the future for the firm, testing it out in the Philadelphia area.

Mellon branch positions will be redefined as the bank attempts to boost in-branch sales of mutual funds and variable annuities. This should include the increased training and licensing of employees to enable more "personal investment counselors" to sell their products.

The funds offered include the Dreyfus and Founders families of funds, both owned by Mellon, and others, although the company declined to elaborate on which other funds were offered.

Mellon currently uses its "personal investment counselors" (PICs) to sell Mellon products through branches of Mellon Bank or Mellon PSFS. When a customer expresses interest in an investment vehicle beyond the traditional bank accounts, they're pointed towards a PIC in-house or have the ability to use video conferencing with a PIC in a centralized call center.

This redefinition of roles may lead to a net loss of jobs according to a company spokesman, both through natural attrition and redeployment of the staff.

While two other big banks in the area - First Union and PNC - have announced company-wide cost-cutting efforts, of $200 M and $400 M respectively, Mellon isn't looking at their moves as cost-cutting. A company spokesman spun it as more of a re-structuring or streamlining of positions. 

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