News

Bendigo Bank named Business Bank of the Year

Bendigo Bank has been named Business Bank of the Year (2011) at Roy Morgan Research's inaugural Customer Satisfaction Awards.

The accolade follows the Bank recording the highest business customer satisfaction score in the Roy Morgan December survey‚ with a rating of 75.4 per cent. This was almost six points ahead of its nearest competitor.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank's Executive Retail‚ Dennis Bice‚ said the customer and industry recognition comes after many years of hard work by the Group's dedicated business banking staff.

"We've come a long way since out first Business Banking offering launched in February 1996‚" Mr Bice said.

"The results and the award demonstrate our efforts to deliver industry-leading customer service are valued by the community. In addition to this‚ we continue to out-perform the big four in business customer satisfaction.

"This is another pleasing result and on behalf of the Bank and all our staff‚ I would like to say thank you to our business customers for their continued support‚" he said.

Mr Bice said the Bank's Business Banking team is made up of almost 300 dedicated staff located right across Australia‚ with many of its people able to provide specialist advice and a wide range of services including agribusiness‚ international trade‚ merchant facilities‚ insurance and other business solutions.

"I think part of our success is our ability to meet the needs of a wide range of business clients‚" Mr Bice said.

"Whether you're a big business‚ small business or a primary producer we have the staff‚ products and services available‚ to ensure that together‚ we can make your business stronger."

Mr Bice said sharing prosperity with customers and the wider community is a core value of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank and is the secret to the Bank's longevity and success.

"We believe successful customers and successful communities create a successful bank‚ but only in that order.

"So it is gratifying to know our customers are broadly satisfied with their experience with our Bank‚" he said.

Name Tags for Newlands Arm Carpet Bowlers

Recently‚ the Newlands Arm Carpet Bowlers approached Paynesville & District Community Bank® Branch Bendigo Bank for a small donation to purchase name badges for their members. The total amount came to just $168.00 but the smile on the faces of the members when they received their tags was priceless.

Branch Manager‚ Duncan Grant (pictured with the bowlers) said “The wonderful thing about being able to assist our community and sporting groups is that it’s not the amount of money we give but the ability to assist according to the needs of the groups. In this case‚ the carpet bowlers needed name badges and we were more than happy to help.”

Fitch Ratings upgrades Bendigo and Adelaide Bank to A-

Fitch Ratings has today upgraded Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s (BEN) Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR).

View the Credit Rating and Announcement

Creating shared value - community banking in the 21st century

As central bankers rake over the coals of the world's biggest financial crisis in 80 years‚ Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Managing Director Mike Hirst discusses lessons to be learned about how banks interact with their communities. An edited version of this article appeared in the Fairfax press on Saturday 9 July 2011.

Google "GFC explained" and you will quickly see why global markets remain in disarray almost four years after the onset of the biggest worldwide slump since the Great Depression - Loss of confidence in the financial paradigm that created the disaster.

One cartoon version of the story winds up with a trustee of a Norweigan pension fund roundly abusing and being abused in turn by a New York banker whose triple-A rated mortgage bonds turned out to be the worthless paper that torched his members' life savings. It gets blue‚ so make sure the kids have gone to bed‚ but it reveals the root cause of our woes - a total disconnect between investors and borrowers. Norweigan krone paying top US dollar for non-recourse mortgages sold to people who had no hope of paying them once the cheap money hurdy gurdy stopped.

Banking was not meant to be like this.

And it actually hasn't been for long.

'Sub-prime mortgages'‚ 'Collateralised debt obligations' (CDOs) and 'credit default swaps' (CDSs) are all new. The first CDO was issued in 1987‚ just ahead of the first CDS. Sub-prime loans - the literal definition being a loan to someone who might have trouble meeting payments - didn't gain traction until the mid-1990s. The very thought of lending to a bad credit risk is anathema to what every banker is taught‚ yet it was a vast sea of US sub-prime debt and all the financial instruments hitched to its wagon that landed us in this mess.

So what to do about it?

The response that must be avoided is to simply recapitalise the banking system‚ bolster reserves a bit just in case‚ wait for confidence to reassert itself and then carry on with our CDOs and CDSs - and presumably new Norweigan trustees - as though nothing happened.

To this end‚ there is much diligent and thoughtful work from central bankers worldwide to reconstruct a global banking system that can again provide strong capital flows at reasonable risk premiums. But the point worth making is that this reconstruction work is seemingly starting from the premise that the global markets are and will remain both ubiquitous and omniscient. That there is now no other way possible.

To quote an old cliche: Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Yet while we certainly don't want to repeat the GFC‚ there is one aspect of financial history that might well be worth repeating. It was the genesis of banking itself: the notion that everyone should benefit from a financial transaction - the investor who provides the funds‚ the borrower‚ the bank's shareholders who bear the risk of the borrower not paying‚ and society itself.

It used to be thus. Banks were formed to feed into prosperity this way - to accept cash from people who had excess to lend to people who lacked cash but could add value to it once obtained. The bank charged the borrower a bit more than it paid the investor and returned the risk margin to its shareholders in the form of dividends. Win‚ win‚ win. And add to that a fourth win‚ because the value added along the way was invariably beneficial to society – people gained employment‚ houses were built‚ businesses started and public infrastructure funded.

This worked particularly well in early banking for one other reason - banks were formed in villages where investors‚ borrowers and bank shareholders lived cheek-by-jowl and therefore shared a common interest in seeing their community prosper. Over time‚ banking has become more technical - some might say impenetrably so - and global-linking technology enables financial transactions to be remote from and unsupervised by both investor and borrower. Overlay on that the centralisation and growth of government‚ and people have never been more detached from and powerless to influence the financial forces that dictate their lives.

But from the ashes of the GFC is stirring a phoenix of recognition that there are alternatives to a resumption of big government and global market domination. No lesser authorities than Harvard economic luminaries Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer envisage a new business world order they have dubbed 'shared value'. It "involves creating economic value in a way that also creates value for society by addressing its needs and challenges". Capitalism‚ they argue‚ is under siege‚ with companies widely perceived to be prospering at the expense of the broader community". Short-term profit objectives blind firms to the need to nurture the long-term health of the markets from which they draw their revenues. The authors conclude: "Businesses must reconnect company success with social progress. Shared value is not social responsibility‚ philanthropy‚ or even sustainability‚ but a new way to achieve economic success. It is not on the margin of what companies do but at the centre. We believe that it can give rise to the next major transformation of business thinking."

Meanwhile‚ in the UK‚ David Cameron's government is pursuing his 'big society' in which – hooray! - some power is devolved to local communities to determine their own future. Germaine to this article is Cameron's idea for a Big Society Bank funded by government and‚ one suspects grudgingly‚ banks that is charged with providing funds for local social enterprise projects. Although this week saw the announced delay of this new bank - ironically because of delays caused by European regulators - Cameron seems determined to push on with his agenda for less government‚ more community and more community determination over the expenditure of funds sourced from banking.

If shared value and banking for and by community sound familiar‚ it's because the bank I head started just such a venture 13 years ago. It's called Community Bank and it was founded on the belief that successful customers and successful communities create a successful bank - in that order. That last phrase is the key‚ because it returns us to the philosophy on which banking itself was founded - that the bank feeds into prosperity‚ not off it. Simply put‚ you can't run a successful company in a poor community‚ so it makes sense to invest in helping to create a wealthier‚ more cohesive and inclusive community.

Community Bank works as a shared value model precisely in the way in which Messrs Porter and Kramer envisage: it creates economic value at the same time it helps communities address their needs and challenges.

In a nutshell‚ it enables local people to become shareholders in a community company formed to run a Bendigo Bank branch. The community aggregates the banking business of its members; pays the costs of running its branch and receives half the income that business generates (from inception this amounts to over $764m); Bendigo collects the other half for providing banking support and infrastructure. Local profits are split‚ with shareholders entitled to no more than 20 per cent and the rest being ploughed into community development.

Today there are 275 of these Community Bank branches operating across Australia. In 13 short years‚ they have returned $56 million in community grants and paid $18 million in shareholder dividends. They have created 1400 jobs and each year now spend around $40 million in wages and services locally‚ which has a significant positive impact on these micro economies when you consider the multiplier effect of local spend. Their profits have been responsible for building community centres and health services; they have bought fire trucks and community buses; funded nursing and student scholarships. Hundreds of sporting teams wear guernseys and uniforms bearing the name of the Community Bank that purchased them. And increasingly governments are lining up to co-fund projects with Community Banks because they know they'll get a bigger bang for their buck because of that sense of community ownership. (David Cameron's critics take note.)

The return on equity of the leading Community Bank companies stand out in any Australian company cohort (including my bank) - 41 per cent‚ and without any of the consumer backlash that would normally entail. Those community companies are opening new branches‚ servicing new communities‚ creating jobs‚ paying great dividends and funding an ever-expanding portfolio of local projects. Viewed through that prism‚ Community Banking looks rosy. It looks easy although I can assure you it is not.

But as English novelist Arnold Bennett observed‚ change is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts‚ and Community Bank is no different.

Turn the spotlight on to under-performing companies (many of which are in their formative years) and a different picture emerges - in debt‚ little or no dividends‚ relatively modest community funding and seemingly little prospect of immediate improvement in their circumstances (although the experience of early underperforming sites suggests they will turn around given perseverance). In some cases‚ shareholders wanting to sell their shares are finding it difficult so Bendigo is working to improve liquidity for them.

Critics of our model have invariably focused on those struggling companies while ignoring the successful ones. The truth‚ of course‚ is that both comparisons are distortions. Community Bank is not a wonder‚ nor a blunder. It is for the most part a successful new shared-value business model providing solid returns for all parties plus the bonus of great social outcomes.

From Bendigo and Adelaide Bank's viewpoint‚ it has enabled an expansion of our branch network on a reverse inquiry basis ensuring that there is a base of business demand that might otherwise have taken longer to emerge. That in itself has enabled us to become a meaningful alternative to the big four banks. Community Bank has enabled us to expand into all States and Territories. It has differentiated our retail bank from any other‚ enabling us to grow an identity without the crushing advertising costs that generally preclude small players from competing effectively with the oligopoly. And Community Banking is now starting to deliver Bendigo some reasonable returns‚ although it has been a long haul to get to that point.

So how might communities evaluate Community Banking 13 years on? I am always happier to let our partners speak for themselves‚ but some of their observations might be:

• In 90 cases‚ it is the only bank they have. Say no more.
• Two-thirds of companies are making sustainable profits and communities therefore have an income source they never had.
• Approximately three quarters are either in profit or close to it whilst the majority of the remaining sites are in the capital drawdown period that characterises a start up business. (A complete financial analysis of Community Bank performance is available on the ASX website under BEN company announcements).
• Their communities have new skills; their leaders can now run public companies and are adept at tapping into local resources.
• With those new competencies has come new collaboration; mostly these communities are more united and there are alliances being formed between community groups‚ not-for-profits and local government that are beginning to create some stunning social outcomes. See some of them at www.bendigobank.com.au/snapshots
• Communities have renewed confidence and a new sense of purpose.
• Momentum is building as older sites mature. In 2009‚ for instance‚ communities were able to invest $9.4 million into local projects; last year that grew to $16 million and this year will comfortably exceed that again. And this‚ don't forget‚ during a global economic meltdown compounding the effects of Australia's worst drought - and almost-worst floods!

The final observation I should add is to reiterate that government now looks very favourably on communities that have shown the drive and wherewithal to take on Community Banking. We have only just started to see how communities can leverage their newfound cashflows to greater effect. Henty in southern NSW‚ for example‚ turned $150‚000 into a $1.5 million community centre through a judicious combination of capital‚ debt and matched government funding. In the not-too-distant future‚ PPP (public private partnership) might well be rivalled by a new acronym - PCP (public community partnership) - as governments and communities increasingly combine their resources to fund local infrastructure.

No one is suggesting Community Bank is a panacea or the new way of doing business. But as business leaders the world over contemplate the latest tablet to come down from Harvard‚ and David Cameron embarks on his bold new venture‚ it is perhaps worthwhile them having a peek into a corner of Australia where an army of willing and capable community volunteers and one small bank are together creating new value from old values.

More Bank Babies

There must be something in the water because Tari’s list of bank babies is growing as we welcome our newest little customers to the Paynesville & District Community Bank^®. We have even welcomed twins (which brings back memories for Tari).

Tari pictured with her newest bank babies Abbie and twins Jem & Abbey.
Click image to enlarge.

Our Local Mascot

Local newsagency owner Lyn often brings in her little pug‚ Lola‚ to visit “the girls at the bank”. We have fallen in love with her so decided to make her into our very own Paynesville & District Community Bank^® Mascot with a jacket embroidered with our logo.

So‚ if you see Lola on her walk‚ give her a friendly pat and let us know next time you’re in the branch.

Pictured: Lola modelling her new jacket.

Congratulations to Paynesville Netballers

When Paynesville Football Netball Club contacted their local Community Bank^® needing some assistance to purchase new netball uniforms‚ we were glad to come to their aid with a cheque for $2‚000. The club has had a very successful season with 4 out of their 5 teams making the Grand Final‚ bringing home Premierships in the A‚ B and C Reserve grades and runners up in C grade.

We’d like to think the new uniforms played a major part in their success but can’t overlook the talented players.

Well done Paynesville. We love to see successes such as yours in our local community.

Paynesville Community Bank^® kicks in with Donation

Grassroots sports are important to local communities so when the local Auskick organisers approached the bank to assist them with their 2010 season‚ we kicked in with a $500 donation. Branch Manager‚ Duncan Grant‚ said “It’s great to be able to be a part of developing children at grassroots level in any sport. This is where it all begins and where communities get value later on when some of these children grow to become great sportsmen and women.”

Pictured presenting a cheque to Auskick Coordinator‚ Ross Freiberg and some very excited Auskickers‚ Steven‚ Joel‚ Cooper and Thomas.

Major sponsor of Paynesville Football Netball Club

Paynesville & District Community Bank^® Branch Bendigo Bank has recently become one of Paynesville Football Netball Club’s major sponsors over a two year sponsorship deal totalling $5‚000.

Branch Manager‚ Duncan Grant said “Local football clubs are the heart of every country town and we are proud to support our local club which caters to football and netball at both junior and senior levels”.

Cory Mills‚ president of the Paynesville Football Netball Club added “The club has really worked its way up the ladder with both football and netball in recent years due to recruiting opportunities for both players and coaches and have only been able to do that due to the sponsorship of local businesses such as our local Community Bank^®. Due to our success we are attracting higher membership numbers and more spectators through the gate at our local games. We are looking forward to a very successful year and would like to thank Paynesville & District Community Bank^® for their contribution.”

Pictured: Duncan Grant‚ Manager Paynesville & District Community Bank® presenting the sponsorship cheque to Cory Mills‚ President Paynesville Football Netball Club. Click image to enlarge

Tari's Bank Babies

When a busy mum called into the bank recently‚ with a sleeping baby brought in straight from the car‚ she had her hands full and was struggling to organise her banking. Tari came to the rescue and the sleeping baby was transferred from Mum to Tari without waking her. Of course Tari was in her element but the main thing was that our customer was able to complete her banking quickly due to this added service.

Now‚ Tari thinks this is a regular task she must complete whenever mums come in with crying bubs or energetic toddlers. She has her Piggy juggling balls for them to play with and carries around the babies so their mums can concentrate on their banking without distractions. “Sometimes I feel as though it could be seen as wasted time but in reality it gives busy mums and dads the opportunity to concentrate on their banking without distractions and as a result they receive a better outcome because they are not rushing their business to console or entertain their children as they are happily playing or being held. It also means the children have a positive experience and are not strangers to the staff at their local bank. I look forward to the day they come to see me to open their own account and I can say to them ‘I remember when you were just a baby’”.

Tari pictured below with three of her regular bank babies

Tari with Bank Baby Mia. Click image to enlarge Tari with Bank Baby Olivia. Tari with Bank Baby Aidyn.

Paynesville Blitz

The Paynesville & District Community Bank® Branch Bendigo Bank donated $10‚000 towards a new façade along the foreshore and shopping precinct of Paynesville.

In all approximately $30‚000 was raised in a combined effort from the Community Bank® and Paynesville Business & Tourism Association (PBTA) and the East Gippsland Shire each contributing a further $10‚000 each.

The work was carried out over a two week period by volunteers of all ages‚ from young children of three to our more senior citizens‚ which showed just what can be accomplished when a community gets together.

Volunteers spent many hours painting posts and seats and adding extra features like a large dolphin on the facilities block‚ water fountains‚ rubbish bins and planter boxes to enhance the foreshore. The ferry shed was painted and adorned with mosaic fish which adds to the marine theme.

The success of the Blitz was celebrated with a large party on the foreshore with great entertainment by local musicians‚ the Paynesville Lions Club food caravan and a jumping castle for children’s entertainment and many more treats for all ages. Duncan Grant‚ manager of Paynesville & District Community Bank® Branch Bendigo Bank said “It was good to see so many people out and about in the community. From the bank’s point of view it was a pleasure to be able to help. I guess the message is‚ the more the community supports us the more we can support the community”.

Pictured manning the Paynesville & District Community Bank® Marquee at the blitz celebrations are L – R Will Grant‚ Duncan Grant‚ Geraldine Boswell and Tari Mills. Click image to enlarge

Paynesville Ambulance - Donation for Training Equipment

In January‚ 2010 a donation of $990 was presented to members of the Paynesville Ambulance Service and Auxiliary by Branch Manager‚ Duncan Grant to assist with the purchase of a specialised electronic training system. The total cost of the training equipment was approximately $2‚300 and the donation from Paynesville & District Community Bank® Branch Bendigo Bank was the amount required to complete the purchase. The training system is an interactive computer program utilised to keep staff abreast of current procedures.

L-R: Alan Wilkinson‚ Grant Hiskins & Gary Stewart (Paynesville Ambulance Service) Duncan Grant (Branch Manager Paynesville & District Community Bank®) Sue Burns‚ Francis Shulz‚ Sophie Nolan & Ruth Wilson (Paynesville Ambulance Auxiliary). Click image to enlarge

Successful Ban the Bulb Program for Paynesville

Staff at the Paynesville & District Community Bank® Branch Bendigo Bank‚ in conjunction with representatives from the Paynesville Men’s Shed – a program of the Neighbourhood Centre‚ implemented the Ban the Bulb Program.

The campaign ran from October to November 2009 and enabled many households and businesses in the Paynesville‚ Raymond Island‚ Eagle Point and Newlands Arm areas to take advantage of this scheme.

Volunteers from the Paynesville Men’s Shed visited properties to swap the incandescent bulbs for new energy saving bulbs and for each bulb exchanged the community group was paid $2.

Ban the Bulb was supported and funded by Bendigo Bank’s Generation Green™ program in partnership with AGL‚ Low Energy Supplies and Services‚ Carbon Down‚ VECCI and the Victorian Government’s Sustainability Fund.

An initial 3‚750 bulbs were allocated‚ but due to demand a further supply was obtained resulting in more than $7‚500 being raised for the Paynesville Men’s Shed program.

Participating householders should see their energy bills fall by as much as $100 a year and businesses could cut their electricity spend by more than 30%.

This fantastic result culminated from a combined effort between the Paynesville & District Community Bank® Branch Bendigo Bank working alongside a community group for the benefit of the community.

Ian Wilson (Men’s Shed)‚ Tari Mills (Paynesville & District Community Bank®)‚ Colin Lamble (Men’s Shed) and Duncan Grant (Manager – Paynesville & District Community Bank® Click image to enlarge

Paynesville Flood

In late June and early July 2007‚ residents in the Lakes Entrance‚ Paynesville‚ Raymond Island and Metung areas were affected by the extensive flooding in the Gippsland area. The crisis arose from the rapidly rising waters in the Mitchell River flowing into the Gippsland Lakes and pushing out towards Lakes Entrance and then into the sea. The high water level was compounded by the strong winds and king tides.

Paynesville & District Community Bank® Branch became isolated and although water did not enter the building‚ the rapidly increasing water level made it impossible for customers to access the branch.

Wildlife took advantage of the opportunity for a closer look at the branch during the forced closure‚ with swans and eels freely swimming around the steps of the branch. Not only does the Community Bank® offer banking services with waterfront views‚ but at that stage it also offered a prime fishing location and daily feeding of the local swans!