CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Forms of banking have been in existence about 500 BC. The early bankers (the jews) lombandy in Italy transacted their business in the benches in the market place. The word.” Bank” It self is derived from Italian word “BANCO” which means “Bench” when a banker failed them this bench was broken up by the angry people (i.e depositors) hence the word “BANKRUPTCY” was derived from the “BANKCORRUPTION” which means broken bench. This types of banking into not begin until the sixteenth century. Italian goldsmiths working in London began to expand their business activities to include safe keeping of valuables and money, when such valuables are represented and thus began to change hand in place of many and valuables. And become our present day bank notes. The goldsmith with an age for profit were quick to realize that some of the money deposited with than could safely be bend out and realize interest. The practice was to be rewarding and many establishment tried to take advantages of this way to make easy profit. Unfortunately due to bad management there were unconditional leading which led to the collapse of the business. In an attempt to alleviate. This undesirable situation the British government established the bank of England in 1694 and gave it the sole right to issue banknote. Being the first bank of England it soon brought about either the closure of the main banking system contained throughout the centuries, until when there are only major banks in England and all able to trace their origin back to the 16th and 17th centuries.
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Banking business all over the world is all about providing various services to customers. These services range from accepting deposits from customers, payment of cheques on their behalf, issuing of advances and loans to them. All these are aimed at customers patronage where there is effective and efficient services provided by the bank. Customers service is any activity that is aimed at pleasing or satisfying a client or customers to encourage more and more patronage.
Banks are not left out of these, this is because the existence is dependent on how much satisfaction they were able to give their customers. However customers service in the banking industry for sometime now has been at a high deteriorating level. Bankers no longer recognize the importance of customers satisfaction to the growth of their business. They keep them than necessary on the grave, give them embarrassment by treating them harshly and even in some cases, there is unusually harassment from the banks security men. The security men are in the habit of harassing their customers in the area of parking of cars, perhaps, because some of them are illiterates, they do not know that a customer is considered a king and a king can do no wrong. Also, the area of maintaining absolute secrecy concerning all issues relating to customer’s account and other transaction affairs is also lacking in banks. This is making customers to lose confidence in their bank. A bank that enjoys large patronage of customers is likely to have a higher profit compared to the one with lower patronage. In this research work, the researcher shall examine those areas that the banks are lacking in terms of providing efficient and effective services to customer the relationship between customer and the bankers, their right as customers and provide recommendation on how banks especially First Bank of Nigeria Plc can improve on it’s customers services relationship.
