Tweet
They have said some stuff to the BBC so am seeing what they actually mean so first of all here is the SME Customer Charter
SME Customer Charter
This is the first time we have formally published a charter of this kind. We intend it to represent an enduring commitment to our SME customers, and one that will evolve over time as we continue to consult with all our stakeholders, and principally the organisations that represent business, with which we are already working closely. We will report regularly and fully on our progress, as part of a wider organisational commitment to openness and transparency that is already well established through our quarterly Corporate Reporting.
NatWest supports more SMEs than any other bank. We have maintained this position through listening to our customers, understanding their needs and responding to them. Confidence and trust are at the heart of our relationships and we recognise that the events of the past 12 months have tested this. As we rebuild our bank our SME customers are as important as ever to us, and now is a good time for us to set out the core business principles that we commit to in order to ensure that we are supportive, fair and transparent as we help businesses grow. This Charter sets out the basis for relationships with our SME customers.
These commitments will remain in place until at least the end of 2010 following which we may alter some of the detail of these principles. However, the overarching themes are intended to be a long term commitment to our customers, typically customers with turnover of up to £25m. We will continue to offer competitive pricing on all new loans.
NatWest - Business banking - Banking your way - Direct business banking
------------------------------- merged -------------------------------
RBS and NatWest pledge on 'last branches in town'
Page last updated at 23:47 GMT, Saturday, 12 June 2010 00:47 UK
The RBS pledge applies to branches in about 100 communities Royal Bank of Scotland has promised its branches will not be closed where it runs the only bank left in a town.
The pledge, also covering its NatWest subsidiary, is part of a 14-point customer charter published on Sunday.
It is intended to help the bank regain public trust after it required a giant government bail-out.
Other elements of the charter include 200 branches opening earlier and closing later on weekdays, and more branches opening on Saturdays.
There are also measures being taken to reduce customer waiting times in branches.
The pledges extend to giving customers annual reviews of their finances, early-warning support for customers facing financial difficulties, and clearer information on services.
Continue reading the main story
The promise not to leave towns without any bank facilities would apply to about 100 communities across Britain.
That could increase if other banks close branches, but Brian Hartzer, Chief Executive of UK Retail at RBS, said it was "simply the right thing to do".
He added: "Access to services is incredibly important. We're major players in the market, we have a real responsibility with our banking licence to be responsive to community concerns, and one of the things that came out of our research was that this issue of accessibility was really important.
"It's a good way of saying we have made mistakes, we have learned that we need to make business sustainable again, and an important part of that is doing things that are of value to the community."
After surveying opinion from 30,000 customers, Mr Hartzer said: "There's been a lot of pressure on the overall group brand, but at a local level, we've found customers still trust their local bankers, they are looking for us to get back on our feet, and do the right thing by them."
He went on: "We had a really close call as a business and are thankful we were rescued. We have since taken stock on how we do things.
"There's a lot we do well for customers, but we can do more and we want to change. This won't happen overnight, but the customer charter is our pledge that we are on the case and will be held to account against the progress we make."
The customer charter has been backed by the Money Advice Trust, which was consulted on it.
BBC News - RBS and NatWest pledge on 'last branches in town'
This makes no sense whatsoever. They have been looking at reducing staff and have asked people to apply for voluntary redundancy. They are closing two branches in August(there may be more) yet they are stating earlier and later opening hours without the staff to man them.....are they having a laugh?
SME Customer Charter
This is the first time we have formally published a charter of this kind. We intend it to represent an enduring commitment to our SME customers, and one that will evolve over time as we continue to consult with all our stakeholders, and principally the organisations that represent business, with which we are already working closely. We will report regularly and fully on our progress, as part of a wider organisational commitment to openness and transparency that is already well established through our quarterly Corporate Reporting.
NatWest supports more SMEs than any other bank. We have maintained this position through listening to our customers, understanding their needs and responding to them. Confidence and trust are at the heart of our relationships and we recognise that the events of the past 12 months have tested this. As we rebuild our bank our SME customers are as important as ever to us, and now is a good time for us to set out the core business principles that we commit to in order to ensure that we are supportive, fair and transparent as we help businesses grow. This Charter sets out the basis for relationships with our SME customers.
- We will help businesses to start up and grow by:
- helping with cashflow: for the first two years of trading, offering free transactional banking when you start up a new business 1. We help more than 90,000 businesses to start up each year. It is our intention to continue doing so and to remain the market leader for start ups.
- providing advice and support: through our Relationship Managers and dedicated Business Hotline (telephone number 0800 158 5977 or visit our website).
- providing free guides, on-line cashflow tools and regular local training seminars: we will adapt these facilities based on feedback from customers.
- We will provide access to finance for SMEs by:
- providing loans and overdrafts to viable businesses: over the last two years we have provided over £50bn of gross new lending to SMEs. It is our intention to continue to make this level of support available to viable business propositions. We will support all reasonable applications from viable businesses 2 and we will continue to provide access to Government lending schemes such as the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG).
- providing overdrafts on a committed basis: recognising that businesses need to know their access to working capital is secure, overdrafts will remain in place for the entire term of the agreement unless there is a breach of the terms and conditions of the overdraft.
- providing support to businesses facing short term financial difficulties: through our specialist teams whose focus will be returning businesses to good health
- We will be fair and transparent on pricing by:
- extending our overdraft Price Promise: this commits us not to increase the margin on overdrafts on renewal unless there has been a material change in the risks associated with the business.
- committing not to charge arrangement fees on loans or overdraft facilities of more than 1.5% per annum 3: this means that even if we need to review your overdraft more than once per year (e.g. where you ask for additional facilities), we will still charge no more than 1.5% per annum.
- providing guidance on the factors that determine loan pricing: our Guide to Lending Pricing (PDF, 234KB) clearly explains the factors which influence loan pricing.
- We will be transparent when making lending decisions by:
- always explaining the reasons for our lending decision: we will clearly explain the basis for our lending decision including how we assess whether a business is viable.
- helping you to structure your borrowing and present your business proposition: we will work with you to determine the optimal lending facility and provide guidance on how best to present your requests for lending to us.
- offering you the right to challenge our lending decision: Business Hotline (telephone number 0800 158 5977 or visit our website) gives you an additional route to challenge us if you disagree with our original lending decision.
These commitments will remain in place until at least the end of 2010 following which we may alter some of the detail of these principles. However, the overarching themes are intended to be a long term commitment to our customers, typically customers with turnover of up to £25m. We will continue to offer competitive pricing on all new loans.
- Free banking means that the charges for the day to day running of your account (known as your 'service charge') will not apply during the free banking period. At the end of this period, you will automatically move to the Standard Tariff. Charges for "Additional Services" and "Unarranged Borrowing" are not part of the free banking offer. Free banking applies to businesses that started trading within the past twelve months with projected or existing annual turnover not exceeding £1 million.
- Subject to the prudent management of the Bank’s balance sheet.
- Effective from 1st January 2010. Our commitment on maximum arrangement fees is subject to: (i) a minimum fee of £150 and (ii) customers remaining within Terms and Conditions of their facility. It does not apply to (i) fees other than arrangement fees, for example, monitoring or security fees (ii) the property finance sector, or (iii) where we provide intensive support for businesses facing financial difficulties. Where we provide intensive support, fees will reflect additional work, but we will offer the ability to add any fees to the overall facility to help manage cashflow
NatWest - Business banking - Banking your way - Direct business banking
------------------------------- merged -------------------------------
RBS and NatWest pledge on 'last branches in town'
Page last updated at 23:47 GMT, Saturday, 12 June 2010 00:47 UK
The RBS pledge applies to branches in about 100 communities Royal Bank of Scotland has promised its branches will not be closed where it runs the only bank left in a town. The pledge, also covering its NatWest subsidiary, is part of a 14-point customer charter published on Sunday.
It is intended to help the bank regain public trust after it required a giant government bail-out.
Other elements of the charter include 200 branches opening earlier and closing later on weekdays, and more branches opening on Saturdays.
There are also measures being taken to reduce customer waiting times in branches.
The pledges extend to giving customers annual reviews of their finances, early-warning support for customers facing financial difficulties, and clearer information on services.
Continue reading the main story
We have learned that we need to make business sustainable again, and an important part of that is doing things that are of value to the community
Brian Hartzer RBS UK Retail Chief Executive The promise not to leave towns without any bank facilities would apply to about 100 communities across Britain.
That could increase if other banks close branches, but Brian Hartzer, Chief Executive of UK Retail at RBS, said it was "simply the right thing to do".
He added: "Access to services is incredibly important. We're major players in the market, we have a real responsibility with our banking licence to be responsive to community concerns, and one of the things that came out of our research was that this issue of accessibility was really important.
"It's a good way of saying we have made mistakes, we have learned that we need to make business sustainable again, and an important part of that is doing things that are of value to the community."
After surveying opinion from 30,000 customers, Mr Hartzer said: "There's been a lot of pressure on the overall group brand, but at a local level, we've found customers still trust their local bankers, they are looking for us to get back on our feet, and do the right thing by them."
He went on: "We had a really close call as a business and are thankful we were rescued. We have since taken stock on how we do things.
"There's a lot we do well for customers, but we can do more and we want to change. This won't happen overnight, but the customer charter is our pledge that we are on the case and will be held to account against the progress we make."
The customer charter has been backed by the Money Advice Trust, which was consulted on it.
BBC News - RBS and NatWest pledge on 'last branches in town'
This makes no sense whatsoever. They have been looking at reducing staff and have asked people to apply for voluntary redundancy. They are closing two branches in August(there may be more) yet they are stating earlier and later opening hours without the staff to man them.....are they having a laugh?
Comment