Santander is revamping its branches and expanding its hours to invite more customers into the branch on their own terms, the bank announced last week.

The expanded hours will represent an increase of 13 percent across its 670 branches in the Northeast, Santander said. The majority of its branches, 93 percent, will now stay open until 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

“What we really want to do is give our customers more opportunities to meet with our bankers, to get their questions answered in person. We want to give them the opportunity to come in when it’s convenient for them,” Heather Kesner, managing director of Santander’s retail network, said in a statement. “We know people lead very busy lives and Saturday is sometimes the best day for them.”

Santander said in an announcement that the changes would include:

• More than 600 branches are now open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
• More than 30 branches are now open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
• More than 30 branches are now open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays.

Meanwhile, the bank has also unveiled its new design at six branches and plans to roll it out to about 35 more branches this year. Santander is redesigning its branches to feature a more open layout with a “teller bar” and “meeting nooks,” among other features. Kesner said the new design is intended to make the branches feel more comfortable and less like a formal bank branch.

“The redesign itself is really giving the branches more of an open layout so it feels less like a formal bank branch and more like a place where you can come in and relax and have a conversation with a banker,” she said. “It gives customer the opportunity to feel like a part of the conversation.”