Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The number of complaints in the country's banking sector increased by 15.26 per cent or 600 in the fiscal year (FY) 2015-16 compared to the previous fiscal, the central bank said on Tuesday.
The Bangladesh Bank (BB) received 4530 complaints from the commercial banks and non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs) in the FY 16 against 3930 complaints in the FY 15, according to the annual report on Financial Integrity and Customer Services Department (FICSD) of the central bank for the FY 16, released on the day.
The report also said most of the complaints relate to general banking, loans and advances, cards, remittances, mobile banking, trade bills, bank guaranty and miscellaneous.
“The rate of resolution was 100 per cent in the FY 16 which was similar to the previous fiscal year,” it noted.
The highest number of complaints has been received against the Sonali Bank Limited, a state-owned commercial bank (SoCB). Among other public banks Agarni Bank Limited, Janata Bank Limited, Bangladesh Krishi Bank Limited and Rupali Bank Limited were in the third, fifth, seventh and ninth positions respectively.
“Among the private commercial banks (PCBs), BRAC Bank Limited was in the first position. This bank is the second position in terms of complaints received against all banks,” the report noted.
BB Governor Fazle Kabir unveiled the report at the central bank headquarters in Dhaka giving emphasis on ensuring depositors and customers interest with cooperative manner.
“The banks are service-oriented institutions. So they (banks) will have to ensure their services to the customers with cooperative attitude,” the central bank chief explained.
He also advised the banks to conduct training programme separately in this connection for improving their quality of services.
BB Deputy Governor Abu Hena Mohd. Razee Hassan asked the bankers to follow their staff regulations properly. “The banks will have to go to public with better services.”
President of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Ghulam Rahman urged the central bank to monitor the banks closely to protect the depositors’ interest.
Mentioning falling trend of interest rates on deposit, the CAB president sought the BB’s intervention in this connection saying that the depositors are not benefitting from the existing trend of interest rates on deposit rather they are being affected.
Among others, Chairman of the Association of Bankers, Bangladesh (ABB) Anis A Khan, Executive Director of the BB Mohammad Masum Kamal Bhuiyan, General Manager of the FICSD AKM Amjad Hussain, Deputy General Manager of the FICSD Mohammad Mamunul Hoque and customers of different banks spoke on the occasion.
BBN/SSR/AD