Still much to do - Banking Ombudsman20 August 2004 - Business Day The Ombudsman for Banking Services says more needs to be done to increase awareness of its services to low and middle income earners. Although recognition of the Ombudsman has increased since it changed its name from the Banking Adjudicator in February, community marketing officer Bruce Manuel said yesterday that awareness levels largely correlated with income."We need to be a lot more proactive in the lower and middle income bracket, especially in light of the extension of affordable banking to the unbanked of SA," Manuel said. A survey by market research company Markinor concluded that 18% of those surveyed recognised the Ombudsman for Banking Services, while only 11% recognized the Banking Adjudicator. Bruce said although 18% was still too small, a lot had been achieved in a short space of time. He said his office was trying to raise awareness among the unbanked as well as the banked. An estimated 52% of South Africans do not have bank accounts, but efforts by banks to incorporate them are expected to give millions more access to financial services. "When that market is tapped, we want to be positioned for them. That's why we are taking a proactive approach," Manuel said. When Banking Ombudsman Neville Melville released his office's annual report in May, he said banks were not doing enough to promote its service to their customers. Manuel said this had been addressed to a large extent. "They have come a long way. They recognise the need to add value to customers," he said.
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