American Express Bank Top-Ranked in Customer Satisfaction in FImetrix Annual Survey 

We are delighted that our clients recognize our sharp focus on meeting their needs and our belief in the importance of customer service,” said William J. Blomquist, head of the Financial Institutions Group of AEB, which was acquired by Standard Chartered PLC in February 2008.  “We fully expect that, with a new corporate parent with strengths in the wholesale banking business that complement our own, we will be able to continue to serve our customers with the same sharp focus on service and an even greater product range.”

Karen Fawcett, Standard Chartered’s Group Head of Transaction Banking said: “Our overriding priority is to ensure we maintain the highest level of service for our customers. AEB’s consistent record of industry leading client service and FImetrix’s continued recognition of AEB’s achievement in this area puts us in a strong position as we focus on continuing to delight our customers with innovative products and superior service.”

The survey noted that, at the product level, “American Express Bank continues to be the most consistent performer across all product lines for both U.S. Dollar and Euro.  It often places first in satisfaction and is seldom out of the top three banks in satisfaction,” the survey noted. In terms of product satisfaction, AEB placed either first or second in every region.  AEB was also one of two banks to tie for first-place in Relationship Manager effectiveness.

FImetrix conducts ongoing research in the global bank-to-bank services market, presenting key research findings from five regions -- Western Europe and North America, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia/Pacific -- resulting from in-person interviews with nearly 600 banking executives.  The report highlights such factors as product quality, customer service quality, pricing, relationship management, the ability to customize products, and Internet capabilities, among others.

In Latin America, the survey found that clients find it particularly important to provide services in more than one currency.  AEB was cited as among the two most successful banks at cross-selling across currencies.