Please
refer to our circular UBD.
BPD. (PCB) No. 31/12.05.001/2006-07 dated March 9, 2007 advising urban co-operative
banks to implement the recommendations of the Working Group that had been set
up to formulate a scheme for ensuring reasonableness of bank charges.
One
of the recommendations of the Working Group was that banks should have a robust
grievance redressal structure and processes to ensure prompt in-house redressal
of all their customer complaints. Urban Co-operative Banks are once again advised
to ensure that a suitable mechanism exists for receiving and addressing complaints
received from their customers with specific emphasis on resolving such complaints
fairly and expeditiously regardless of the source of the complaints.
2. Banks
are advised to:
(i) Ensure that the complaint registers
are kept at prominent place in their branches which would make it possible for
the customers to enter their complaints.
(ii) Have a system
of acknowledging the complaints, where the complaints are received through letters
/ forms.
(iii) Fix a time frame for resolving the complaints
received at different levels.
(iv) Prominently display at
the branches, the names of the officials who can be contacted for redressal of
complaints, together with their direct telephone number, fax number, complete
address (not Post Box No.) and e-mail address etc. for proper and timely contact
by the customers and for enhancing the effectiveness of the redressal machinery.
3.
In the case of scheduled urban co-operative banks, where the complaints
are not redressed within one month, the concerned branch / Head office of the
bank should forward a copy of the same to the Nodal Officer concerned under the
Banking Ombudsman scheme and keep him updated about the status of the complaint.
This would enable the Nodal Officer to deal with any reference received from the
Banking Ombudsman regarding the complaint more effectively. Further, it is also
necessary that the customer is made aware of his rights to approach the Banking
Ombudsman concerned in case he is not satisfied with the bank’s response. As such,
in the final letter sent to the customer regarding redressal of the complaint,
banks should indicate that the complainant can also approach the concerned Banking
Ombudsman. The details of the concerned Banking Ombudsman should also be included
in the letter.
4. Urban Co-operative Banks are also advised
to give wide publicity to the establishment of the grievance redressal mechanism
in their head office and all their branches and bring it to the notice of their
customers.
Yours faithfully
(A. K. Khound)
Chief
General Manager-in-Charge