Banks are increasingly willing to outsource their so-called core functions.

In a recent survey, Accenture found that nearly two-thirds of banks outsource some corporate functions, usually credit card processing, human resources and IT operations. Surprisingly though, half of banks interviewed said that they also outsource some finance and accounting functions - including general ledger, tax accounting and financial reconciliation.

The survey sampled 30 U.S.-based retail and commercial banks from a population of 197 with over $3 billion in assets. Most outsource at least some of these functions, including financial reconciliation, consolidation, monthly/quarterly close, fixed-asset accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, management and legal entity reporting, and budget and plan production.

A minority of banks surveyed do not outsource any corporate or financial functions, usually because their staffs are so small that it would not make economic sense, or for control reasons, said Accenture. But competitive pressure may soon brush those concerns aside, it added.