CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The banking industry which is various bank put together to this industry consist of the central, commercial, merchant, development and saving banks. Central bank being the apex bank. Though banks are classified according to their functions, a detailed study of their various functions showed that they have common features and functions but with a slight and important distinction. Just like other human activities, banking has a history which dates back to the 2500BC. The early known bankers have the jews in hombandy in Haley who transacted their business on benches in the market place. The project examines customers services since the banking industry is with the aim of evaluating the level of satisfaction of customers in response to services offered. To do this effectively FBN PLC, Kaduna has been selected to serve as our case study.
Banking in Nigeria
The earliest recorded banking in Nigeria was by Elder Demister company and the African banking corporation in 1894. The banking activities of these corporations were later taken over in 1894 by the British West Africa. It remained as until 1971, when the colonial bank opened officers in Jos, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt The bank of British west Africa later become standard bank of Nigeria ltd and now FBN PLC. The colonial bank was also renamed Barclays bank. Its name change against to union bank of Nigeria limited on 12th March 1979. The first indigenous bank was the industry and commercial bank, which was established in 1929. It collapsed in 1931 and went out of business in 1936. In 1933 the national bank of Nigeria was opened. The next important event was not until 1945, when the Agbonmag be was established. The African continental bank was formed in 1946 as the Tinubo bank and changed to its WEMA Bank Plc, Bank of the North was established in 1959, Cooperative Bank was established on 1962.
There was also the emergence of the United Bank for Africa in 1949. The last four banks mentioned above are still in existence. The first banking ordinance appeared in 1951 and ruled that no bank would be allowed to operate without a license from the government. The ordinance established the central Bank of Nigeria which take over the issue of ensuring monetary stability and sound commercial banking operation in Nigeria. In order to develop the rural area economically, the federal government in 1991 also ensured the concept of rural banking, also known as community banks. Community bank was found in practice of the Africa society, it was to this end that the then central bank governor, late Alhaji Abdulkadir pointed out that “community banks are bound to Nigeria today.
The British and French bank which was established in 1947, later its name was changed to United Bank of Africa in 1961. The Economic Importance of Commercial Bank in Nigeria The distinguishing feature of a commercial bank is that it hold itself out as prepared to accept deposit of money from members of the public on current or deposit account to honour cheques drawn by its customers on their accounts, and to its customers and drawn on or issued by other banks.
Commercial banks deals in money, receiving it on deposit from customers, honouring customers drawings against such deposits of demand, collecting cheques for customers and lending or investing surplus deposits unit they are required for repayment. From the above functions of commercial banks it becomes clear that they are of great use to the government, the business community and the various individual, in the society. The government requires the corporation in execution its monetary policies, such as the restriction of expansion of credit as and when the need arise. In developing countries like Nigeria, the central bank is a substantial lender in the short term trough a treasury bill purchases as a lender of last resort to customers demands.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The survival of the banks depend on the number of customers, the banks are able to satisfy. The statement of problems are cost of bank service is high, interest rates on loans and deposit are high, time spent in transacting business in the bank is long and there are also long queue and huge crowd in the banking hall that tends to put one off. What is more the quality of bank services is questionable with the increasing level of fraud, forgeries and sometimes diversion of customer funds.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
This work is aimed at analyzing:
The types of services offered by first bank to their customers and evaluating if the services guarantee the satisfaction of the customers. To find out the causes of long delays queues, crowdedness and the aggressive noise in the bank.
To enquire into the staffs attitude and response to customers and the problems in the services rendered by this bank so as to recommendation on the strength of the findings.
The general purpose o this research work is precondition for the award of National diploma in Banking and Finance.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What are the types of services offered by First Bank Nigeria Plc to satisfy her customers? What are the causes of long delays, crowdedness and the aggressive noise in the bank? What are the staff attitude and response to customer in the bank? There is cordial relationship between workers and customers in First Bank for high profitability
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
First bank Nigeria Plc as a commercial bank is involved in various banking functions among them is the granting of qualitative service. The sole aim of this work is to examine the experience of bank to the problems in the task of ensuring customers satisfaction through prompt and effective customer. These will be used for the policy makers of the bank and other banks, and again it can be useful to the customers of the bank on how to deal with the services rendered to them and it can be useful to students who can make reference to it when writing project report about the bank. In a last note the recommendations made will present a practical attempt on the part of the researchers contribution to already existing stocks of knowledge of ensuring effective customers services.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study shall limit itself to the management, applications and procedures used in effective satisfactory customer service and possible make recommendation to aid the effectiveness of this function of commercial banking in this century. Therefore it is however assumed that any information collected with regard to the samples will reflect a true opinion of the population and that information from first bank Nigeria Plc Kaduna is considered authentic for the work.
1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
Financial problem as a result of several visit to the organization which resulted in a delay in attending to the researcher, and the cost of reaching the place due to increase in transportation cost. Secrecy in the banking industry, contributed to great extent to limiting sources of information as the writer was not able to gain access to some vital record that would have been of immense help. There was also difficulty in seeing the officer assigned to help with necessary information as in most cases; he was busy which a major trait of the banking industry.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Commercial Bank: Commercial bank is a bank which offers full banking services to commence, industry and other sectors of the economy. This full service implies the current, deposits account and saving account.
Customer: There is no statutory definition of the term “customer” hence reliance is placed on case law definitions which to make a person a person a customer of a bank he/she must either be operating a current account or deposit account or some similar relationship. The relationship begins as soon as money or cheques is paid in, and the bank accept it. So the customer is the person wishing to make purchasing of physical product or accept service regularly.
Account: A reckoning counting, computation of statement receipt and expenditure showing a balance, register of debits and credits.
Current Account: This is account running from day to day on which cheques are paid to which credits are paid in with orders from CBN to commercial banks. This type of account is commonly use by traders. The self-employed and other employed that the money is paid to demand.
Deposit Account: This type of account is always maintained in credit. The balance is repayable at seven or fourteen days notice or after a fixed term. Interest is paid at the banks scheduled deposit rate, or on agreed rate between the bank and the customer. In this account, money is kept for a specified period. Customer who have sufficient money standing to their audit on current or saving accounts may instruct the banks to transfer part of the supplies funds to a deposit account in order to earn interest.
Bank Rate: This is an advertised minimum rate at which the central ban of Nigeria is prepared to disrupt approved bills of exchange. This rate is used by government as a means of controlling the money demand and checking the growth of inflation. And also known as minimum rate.
Savings Accounts: Saving account is similar to current account except that it is meant or the accumulation of smaller sums and withdrawals up to a certain amount. This customers account is designed to encourage small saving on which interest paid at a specified rate.
