| St George best business bank
ST GEORGE Bank has thrashed the majors in the business banking service ranks, particularly Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), which continued to lag the pack, a survey says. Regional banks were rated better business bankers by their customers than the big four in a monthly survey for October of 850 customers by consultant East & Partners. On a scale from one to 10, the best ranked banks were the regionals, which were pooled together in the survey and received a collective score of 6.54. St George came second with a score of 6.05. National Australia Bank got the best score out of the majors of 5.61, while CBA came last with 4.14. "Arguably, these figures are fairly ordinary,'' East & Partners senior manager Robert Morgan said. "At the top end you've got 6.54, but that's only just over the medium point of five.'' Mr Morgan said the increasing competitiveness and complexity of business banking had made customers more discerning.
I(n)Trospection – the new business model?
Globally, banking as a segment has moved into the mainstream. As financial institutions and best practices gain importance in the region, there is a visible shift towards specialisation which has seen banks in the region transform operations in favour of commercial banking or opt to specialise on the fast growing, yet niche Islamic Finance business. Investments in IT and infrastructure are especially contributing to business growth, enabling customers to enjoying the benefit of improved services and faster delivery of banking products. The Islamic Finance market in particular has seen significant growth over the past few years. Having infused a culture of fresh thinking, its growth in the region has also made it necessary for banks offering Sharia-compliance products and services to constantly seek innovation.
Bankers see potential in women-owned businesses
Stephanie Zhang had an epiphany. "I was working in the cell phone store one day when I said to myself, 'I could own this place,'" said Zhang, who now owns not one but two wireless stores as president of Best Wireless in San Francisco. Like many entrepreneurs before her, she turned to family to help make her dream a reality. In this case, she accepted $20,000 from her father. She then turned to Wells Fargo Bank for small business banking services such as a company checking account. Zhang represents an important market segment that institutions such as Wells Fargo and Wachovia Bank are heavily courting with a range of such services. .
State Farm agent expands with move
PRINCETON — Growing her small town business and providing the best insurance and financial services around is a priority for State Farm agent Lorita Hellman.With a new location and an expanded team, she hopes to better meet her client’s goals and objectives."The main thing I want to do is to have people, without a doubt, understand how very, very much we want to help them with their insurance and financial services, and in the right way," Hellman said."We want them to feel like they enjoy being here so very much that they don’t want to have their insurance anywhere else. That’s the kind of service we want to provide; that’s the ultimate goal," she added.As of Oct. 1 the business relocated to 324 N. Main St., to a newly-renovated Victorian building, that is more than 100 years old.With the move, Hellman expanded her business team to include her son, Adam Hellman, who will serve as an agency contact representative, and will greet clients, process payments and keep client information up to date.Also on the team are Susan Bastion and Barbara Kunst, both multiple line representatives, who have a combined 25 years experience, in addition to Lorita who also has 21 years of agency experience.They are both fully licensed in all lines of insurance with Bastion specializing in bank and commercial insurance, while Kunst specializes in health and life insurance."They are both also experts in property and casualty insurance on their auto and fire insurance line," Hellman said.With the move, Hellman said she would like to increase her clientele at a more rapid pace, with an emphasis on auto growth."We paid dividends last year; we lowered our rate; we’re extremely competitive right now," Hellman said.Hellman said she had her eye on the building, which had sat vacant for several years, and was ready to take the next step."I’ve always found this place to be extremely charming.
St George blitzes big banks
ST GEORGE Bank has thrashed the majors in the business banking service ranks, particularly Commonwealth Bank of Australia, a survey says. Regional banks were rated better business bankers by their customers than the big four in a monthly survey for October of 850 customers by consultant East & Partners. On a scale from one to 10, the best ranked banks were the regionals, which were pooled together in the survey and received a collective score of 6.54. St George came second with a score of 6.05. National Australia Bank got the best score out of the majors of 5.61, while CBA came last with 4.14. "Arguably, these figures are fairly ordinary,'' East & Partners senior manager Robert Morgan said. "At the top end you've got 6.54, but that's only just over the medium point of five.'' Mr Morgan said the increasing competitiveness and complexity of business banking had made customers more discerning.
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