As the percentage of banks offering free checking continues to decrease, the pressure on bank executives to clearly articulate their value proposition to customers and prospects alike has dramatically increased. To assist banks in understanding value proposition, J.D. Power and Associates provides insight based on its unique capability to analyze customer trends and preferences across financial services industries, such as credit card and investment services, to identify best practices. Findings are provided from studies J.D. Power conducts in each of these industries, in addition to a preview of analysis that will be included in the 2011 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study. The 2011 study provides analysis of retail banking experiences from more than 50,000 customers across more than 130 of the largest financial institutions in the United States. This is the sixth year of publication of this annual study.