Bank CEO visits top-performing Whanganui branch

CARING FOR CUSTOMERS: The Co-operative Bank's new CEO David Cunningham says the Whanganui branch rates highest for customer satisfaction.

Whanganui customers' ratings of the local branch of The Co-operative Bank are consistently the best in New Zealand, chief executive officer David Cunningham says.

Mr Cunningham was in town on Thursday to visit Whanganui branch manager Jon Palmer and his team.

"The Whanganui branch has the best results in our customer satisfaction survey and over the last five years it has been the top branch," Mr Cunningham said.

"We have 7000 customers in Whanganui and that's continuing to grow. In other markets, like Auckland, we are really small but we have a great profile in Whanganui and really know our customers. We are now seeing second and even third generation customers coming through."

Mr Cunningham has worked for the bank for nearly five years and took over as CEO in May.

"Leading the bank is quite different to running a part of it. It's an amazing challenge. I see the CEO role is to be the chief inspiration officer. It's a privileged role to have but equally it's really challenging."

The Co-operative Bank has a strong emphasis on using technology "with just the right amount of human touch".

"We have leapfrogged much of the banking industry with the way we've used technology. We have as many banking services as possible online but there has to be a human backstop.

"The reason we exist is for the long-term benefit of our customers so we think and act differently from other banks."

The bank's key point of difference is that it pays rebates to its customers, based on the amount of business the customer has with them and the length of time they have been with the bank.

This year the bank paid more than $80,000 in rebates to Whanganui customers. Over the last five years Whanganui customers have shared $333,000 in rebates.