More and more, banks are recruiting Latino employees and remodeling branches to make them more appealing to the state's 300,000 Latino residents.

Wells Fargo Bank on Thursday will open its first remodeled, Latino-focused branch at 1710 S. Redwood Road in Salt Lake City, where signs, brochures and services will be offered in both Spanish and English. It intends to remodel another 15 such branches in the next two years, said Ascencion Vera, Wells Fargo vice president and business banking relationship manager.

Salt Lake City-based Zions Bank already has six branches geared toward Latinos and will add a branch in December at 1635 S. Redwood Road, Salt Lake City, where all employees will speak Spanish. U.S. Bank doesn't offer branches specifically aimed at Latinos, but several locations do have bilingual tellers.

"For the first time we have seen a massive outreach to the Latino community," said Tony Yapias, director of the Utah Office of Hispanic Affairs. In the past, banks typically sought out Latino business by simply tapping Spanish speakers to staff teller windows. However, most are learning that employing cultural awareness pays off in convincing Latinos that banks can be trusted with their money, he said.

"The focus isn't to hire people who speak Spanish," Zions Bank's Rob Brough said. The company, like Wells Fargo, recruits Latino employees who know their culture to work in their branches.

Yet changing Latino perceptions of banking remains a challenge. Some Latinos have stayed away from banks because they perceive them as unsafe or ill-suited for their needs. Yet Yapias said more people realize they need to use certain financial services "because that's the way businesses run."

Beyond traditional checking and credit card transactions, banks also deal heavily in money transfer to foreign countries, which Latinos often use. U.S. Bank now offers its customers money transfers for $6 to compete with traditional Western Union transfers.