Totality Awesome

Jamil Armstrong got a chance to witness history, courtesy of Regions. His Preston Center branch in Dallas, Texas, closed for 15 minutes April 8 – long enough for Jamil and the branch team to see the moon cover the sun.

“It was a phenomenal event,” said Armstrong, the branch’s team lead and a Regions associate since 2020. “I had never taken the opportunity to see a full eclipse like that and the moon covering the sun and it getting dark for four to five minutes.”

It was a phenomenal event. I had never taken the opportunity to see a full eclipse like that and the moon covering the sun and it getting dark for four to five minutes.
Jamil Armstrong, Regions Bank Preston Center branch team lead

According to the Branch Delivery team in Consumer Banking, Regions had 128 branches directly in the path of the total eclipse – in addition to Wealth Management, Commercial Banking and other offices. Those branches are located in Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Texas.

But Regions associates in Tennessee and other states also took time out to watch the sky too.

What made the April 8 solar eclipse so historic was its broad path across the U.S., passing over cities from Texas to Maine. The next total solar eclipse won’t be visible again from the U.S. until Aug. 22, 2044 and totality then will only occur over North Dakota and Montana.

Because of the uniqueness of the celestial event, Consumer Banking provided branch teams with special eclipse guidance so associates who wanted to could watch.

Branches located within the eclipse path had the option to either temporarily close during the peak viewing time or they could stay open provided at least two associates remained inside to serve customers.

The guidance also included reminding associates to wear protective eyewear and to review and follow the full list of safety precautions outlined on NASA’s 2024 Total Solar Eclipse website.