CSI, the bank software provider, released its Financial Life Moments 2026 National Study on 4 November 2026, conducted by The Center for Generational Kinetics, finding that 83% of US consumers would be more loyal to an institution that guided them through a major life event and that 51% stay with their current bank mainly because switching feels difficult, according to the announcement. The CSI study also found that 40% have considered switching because they felt unsupported during a major life event. The finding sits awkwardly with J.D. Power’s 2026 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, published on 26 March 2026, which found 20% of retail bank customers had moved money away from their primary bank in the previous three months, up from 17% a year earlier.

What the CSI Study Says About Loyalty

The headline finding is the gap between retention and loyalty. Nancy Langer, CSI’s president and chief executive, said “retention shouldn’t necessarily be mistaken for loyalty”. The study also found that 67% of respondents feel more financially stressed than five years earlier, 72% say stress has made them delay a major life decision, and 74% find it more useful to view their finances through life events than by age.

CSI sells data and AI tools to banks, including its Customer Intelligence Suite, so the conclusion that banks need more life-event data suits its product. The numbers may well hold up, and readers should still note who paid for the CSI study. Fintechbits has looked at whether fintech apps give useful financial guidance, the same gap this research describes.

The practical point for banks is timing. A customer who moves house, has a child or loses a job is reviewing their finances anyway, and the CSI study suggests that is when unhappy customers act on the urge to leave. Banks that rely on switching friction to keep deposits are exposed as account opening gets faster and open banking makes it easier to move money. Jason Dorsey, president of The Center for Generational Kinetics, called life events “a missing link” for institutions trying to build engagement and trust. The release extract Fintechbits reviewed does not give the sample size or fieldwork dates, which readers need before relying on the percentages.