Svyaznoy Bank: problems, customer reviews

ZAO Svyaznoy is one of the largest credit organizations of Russia at the federal level. The history of the financial institution is small and has its roots in 2010. At that time, the Svyaznoy Group of Companies signed an agreement with Promtorgbank on the formation of a single and large-scale financial institution. Svyaznoy Bank, whose problems did not worry at the first stages of its existence, immediately after the appearance presented an innovative product in the financial market - a card of the bank Svyaznoy, which significantly diversified the range of proposals and attracted attention to the organization.

History

The "connected" bank (Moscow) officially started operating in 2010, but the customer structure itself was inherited from a partner represented by AK "Promtorgbank", which was established in 1992. The organization belonged to the category of medium-sized enterprises, which specialize in servicing industrial enterprises and commercial companies. The experience of partnership with legal entities was new, but very useful. The history of the Svyaznoy group of companies is rooted in 1995. The main specialization of enterprises to this day remains the same: the sale of electronics, the sale of communication equipment and computer equipment. Bank Svyaznoy, whose branches are located throughout Russia, today offers its customers a wide range of financial services with the issue of credit cards, inclusive. The client base of the Institute totals about 3 thousand corporate clients from different spheres of the economy. The number of retail customers has already reached 1.5 million people. Standard banking services by type of cash management operations, loans and deposits are supplemented with services for factoring and acquiring.

"Connected" today

Svyaznoy Bank, whose problems have appeared relatively recently and has not yet had a significant impact on the activities of the financial institution, is included in the TOP-50 banks of Russia. All bank deposits are insured by the deposit insurance system. The highlight of the company's product line was the "Svyaznoy" card, in which both credit and debit capabilities were successfully combined. If the balance is fixed on the card, 10% per annum will be added to it. For every operation, the cardholder receives bonuses. The credit limit for this type of product is 250 thousand rubles. Customers of the bank can use the services of the latter in one of the numerous offices. For all of the short history of its existence, Svyaznoy Bank (St. Petersburg) had no claims from clients. The level of service has always remained on top. The recent inconvenience is caused by the fact that the institution has set limits on the withdrawal of cash, thereby mirroring the actions of its competitors who are deprived of a license and have already passed the liquidation procedure.

The first harbingers of trouble

In the opinion of both clients and financial market experts , Svyaznoy bank began to experience the problem at the time when it was decided to limit the amount of cash that can be withdrawn from the ATM. In accordance with the innovation, there are restrictions in the ATMs of both the bank itself and the partners. Customers can cash out for one day not more than 25 thousand rubles. Transfer of funds from a bank card through P2P-transfer is available only for an amount not exceeding 5 thousand rubles per day. A certain restriction has been imposed on transfers of the interbank type in electronic format, which can not exceed the amount of 50 thousand rubles. The only direction that is not limited by limits is the calculation for purchases with services, using the capabilities of QBank service inclusive.

What are they talking about in the media?

Widely distributed information that the bank "Svyaznoy" branch closes across the country. According to the management, this approach to restructuring the bank's activities will save the lion's share of its budget. According to the management, such actions will not affect the quality of customer service in the regions, since they practically do not visit offices and use alternative partnerships and transactions. Most clients of the financial institution are inclined to believe that in connection with such drastic measures taken by the management, in the near future the financial institution may be threatened with reorganization, as in the case of the bank Trust, or revocation of the license. At the moment, the "Svyaznoy" bank, whose branch addresses have significantly decreased recently, is working in the standard mode with some amendments, and the institution's management officially declares that there can be no question of revoking the license and liquidation. The information leaked in the media at the end of 2014, about the future readjustment at the request of the leadership itself, not only remains unconfirmed, but is also formally disproved. The only thing that "Svyaznoy" bank needs, problems with liquidity were caught unawares, is an investor for the normalization of work. The guide says there are enough promising proposals.

Limits for credit cards - a precautionary measure or something more serious?

Svyaznoy is actively involved in reducing credit card limits. If earlier in 99% of the contracts the loan granted to customers ranged from 10 thousand rubles to 150 thousand rubles, today it is limited to the current amount of debt. Management explains the reduction in limits by changes in the cost of funding. Correct the price conditions of lending is extremely important in connection with the current cost of attracting capital. "Pruning" is initially exposed to non-utilized loans with a zero level of use.

What do customers say about lowering the limits?

After the bank "Svyaznoy" (St. Petersburg) began to cut the limits, customers reacted to the situation with numerous negative reviews. Despite the fact that only 5% of the loans are being scrapped in the bank, the wave of indignation has risen very high, since the decision was taken unilaterally. Whether the bank will return the limits to the previous levels will depend only on what the future economic situation in the country will be. A large number of banks were faced with problems. They suspended their activities, expecting a change in the situation, since a sharp outflow of capital may become decisive in the future destiny of institutions.

Mass reductions of employees

The "connected" bank, whose office addresses fell sharply, did not limit itself to closing branches. In total, from January to March 2015, the staff of the financial institution decreased by 27%. By April 1, 2015, the number of bank employees corresponds to 1406 specialists. In January this year this figure was 1,921 thousand people. In general, for the current year in the bank "Svyaznoy" the number of specialists has decreased by 36%. Significantly decreased the amount of wages paid. In the first quarter of 2015, employees of the financial institution were credited with 25.2 million rubles. This is about 27% lower than in the same period last year. In parallel, the growth of social payments has been noticed, which rose to 123.5 million rubles from 4.1 million rubles. Since the end of 2014, the credit institution has experienced some financial difficulties. Since April 16, the bank from the Central Bank has been issued a ban on the receipt of new deposits, as on April 1, the financial institution withdrew from the capital adequacy standards in accordance with the standards of the regulator.

The bank's refusal to restructure the debt

Until the time when offices began to close, Svyaznoy bank most customers touted from all sides. There are people who actively wrote about loyal and respectful attitude to clients, which is not in other large financial institutions. The emphasis was on the integrity of the organization and on the diversity of products, on a flexible partnership scheme. With the beginning of difficulties, according to customers' feedback, the relationship has changed significantly. So, one of the clients in connection with the loss of work filed an application for debt restructuring. According to her, the representatives of the bank did not answer any of the numerous appeals. As a result, a woman talks about the constant threats of collectors on the phone and about annoying calls to all friends. She plans to apply to the prosecutor's office with a lawsuit against the bank. A similar situation is described by many other people who decided to act in a similar way.

What do investors say?

The "cohesive" bank, which has previously accepted deposits with high intensity, does not work today in this direction in connection with the instruction of the Central Bank. Due to this fact, the opinions of the customers are divided. There are two categories of people. Some are trying to intensively withdraw funds from the bank, thereby causing a strong outflow of funds and aggravating the situation. The second group of clients, having excellent, in their words, relations with the financial organization, is not going to take any measures. People hope that the "Connected" bank, whose license is currently active, will successfully survive the temporary difficulties and in the near future will restore the activities according to the regulations. The emphasis is on the fact that even as a result of the liquidation of a financial institution, the funds can be returned through the deposit insurance agency. Experts recommend that those persons whose deposit size exceed 1.4 million rubles, including in dollar terms, act.

Svyaznoy fell into the ranks of problem organizations

The end of 2014 proved particularly difficult for every financial institution in the country. Banking crises occurred throughout Russia. Despite the wide network of offices and the scale of the work, Svyaznoy fell into the ranks of troubled banking structures. In November 2014, the financial institution maneuvered to the brink of bankruptcy. Repeatedly since that period, then introduced, then lifted restrictions on limits on bank cards. Initially, the limits that still apply today were to be introduced only for the New Year holidays. The panic from clients who keep their savings in a financial institution is primarily due to the fact that more than 100 banks have been closed since the crisis.

The bank's prospects for 2015

Now it's very problematic to say whether the "Svyaznoy" bank is closed or not, but the fact that there are liquidity problems in connection with the measures taken by the management is obvious. The external economic situation shows that in the short term the situation will not change. Despite the increase in the amount of the insurance deposit to 1.4 million rubles, the outflow of funds from the financial institution continues, which could lead to bankruptcy. Recall that the "Svyaznoy" bank deposits ceased to accept the order of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, which reduced the sources of replenishment of the budget of the organization. There is information about the existence of the debt of the institute to the tax authorities in the amount of 1.2 billion rubles, with the payment of which settlement with creditors will become impossible, since the debt exceeds the amount 2.5 times. The management of the bank is actively working to stabilize the activities of the institution, which gives hope for the restoration of the normal work of Svyaznoy. It is too early to make forecasts, only to observe the development of the situation.