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The duties of banking services clerks can vary per job, and their titles may differ, as well. As a banking services clerk, you may work with customers interested in opening bank accounts, which could include explaining available services to customers and helping them with account applications. Your banking services career could lead to work as a contact center representative with responsibilities that include answering and managing calls, e-mails and faxes from existing and potential customers, checking and modifying accounts, and knowing sales procedures. You could also work as a loan processing clerk, in which case you might prepare credit reports, maintain processing records and perform other administrative duties. If you work as a cash services clerk, you'll likely calculate cash amounts, manage the currency supply, authorize payments and prepare currency transaction reports.

All of these positions require that you have excellent customer service skills. You should be able to communicate well verbally and in writing, listen to others, and be aware of how they're reacting and why. You also need to be able to think critically and make solid judgment decisions.

Banking services clerk salary

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) places banking services clerks in the category of new accounts clerks. These professionals earned a national median annual salary of $30,640 in 2009, with the highest earners making $41,540.

The numbers from Salary.com show a similar trend. Banking and commercial loan processing clerks earned a median salary of $31,677, with the highest earners bringing in about $50,000.

According to GlassDoor.com, annual average salaries for clerks, servicing clerks and records clerks are between $19,000 and $26,000.

Wages vary by industry, location, experience, company and other factors. According to the BLS, the industries that pay new accounts clerks the most, from highest to lowest, are:

1. Insurance carriers
2. Other financial investment activities
3. Securities and commodity contracts intermediation and brokerage
4. Management of companies and enterprises
5. Employment services

The top-paying states for banking services clerks, from highest to lowest, are:

• New Jersey
• Nevada
• Connecticut

According to the BLS and the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, the metropolitan areas with the highest salaries relative to the cost of living include:

• Trenton-Ewing, New Jersey ($40,470)
• Springfield, Massachusetts-Connecticut ($40,180)
• Ocean City, New Jersey ($39,880)

Required training and advancement opportunities

To land a banking services clerk job, you only need a high school diploma and perhaps some post-secondary coursework or experience in a related field or occupation. Once you're in this entry-level position, you may have the opportunity to work your way up.

To advance in your career as a bank services clerk, you could pursue training online to familiarize yourself with common banking software, such as databases and spreadsheets in preparation for a bank teller position. You could obtain an online associate degree in business or accounting to move into a bookkeeping, accounting or auditing clerk role. Ultimately, you'd need a bachelor's degree in finance, economics or a related field to become a commercial loan officer or bank branch manager.

The overall employment of banking services clerks is expected to remain static or change slightly between 2008 and 2018, according to BLS data.

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