In the wake of the terrorist attack, banks were taking extra measures to protect back-up systems and monitor activity coming in and out of the buildings. Midtown banks like Credit Lyonnais had locked all doors except the main door. Other banks, such as FleetBoston Financial, were having employees sign in and out and packages were subject to inspection. The concern went well beyond New York City, as Boston area banks noted that the hijacked planes had taken off from Logan Airport. Dealers feared for Boston high-rises like John Hancock and Prudential buildings. "This isn't L.A. or New York, but [the attacks] hit home," said a Boston area dealer. Dealers said the extra security was to be expected and a small price to pay in light of the recent tragedy.
In a statement, Deutsche Bank said it had successfully evacuated 5,000 of its staff from its four downtown locations and that it has accounted for all but one employee and a person who was working on the premises. The bank has transferred its systems and data to backup facilities and all critical systems are running. The bank had also successfully tested its trading systems the weekend after the attack. New PCs and phones have been secured for all displaced Deutsche Bank personnel. The bank has also installed 1,300 workstations in its New Jersey backup facility as well as in other locations.
Other banks were also fortifying back-up systems and moving them to locations outside of the city, but had not issued formal statements on their status. "It's like their Y2k stuff has been dusted off. Some banks had their back-up facilities downtown, which makes no sense to me," a dealer remarked. As for physical security measures, traders said it gave them some sense of ease. Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital and Goldman Sachs were among the banks that had moved operations to New Jersey while their downtown locations were evacuated.