Banking on trust

Illustrations by Steph Bravo

It pays to partner with someone you trust—a bank who knows what you need and will take care of your investments.

For many property seekers, finding a bank is a highly crucial task, especially for the first time buyers who will be pouring in their hard earned savings in such a big-ticket investment.

For this set of buyers, it is an imperative that they find a bank who will truly care, one that has a heart and malasakit for its customers, and who is committed to look out for their best interests. In doing so, one will be assured that their investment is in good hands.

Hence, beyond financial performance, which is a good indicator of the company’s stability, one must also look at other factors that will further ensure that you get both value and service from your bank. For one, you may want to observe the culture espoused by a bank.

You may also want to look at the kind of customer service your chosen bank can provide, its footprint which ensures easy access, and its corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects as all these will most likely convey what kind of relationship you’re getting into.

Company culture

It’s best to look at the culture that a bank espouses as this can be one of the best indicators of how it will take care of you, your investments and your assets.

In the case of local banking giant Metrobank, the passion, commitment and dedication to serve are highly apparent as such values have been deeply ingrained in the way its employees go about their daily tasks, fostered primarily by a culture that enables them to do so.

And this comes as no surprise as its founder Dr. George S. K. Ty had instilled in his people—from the time he founded Metrobank 56 years ago—values that defined who they are as a bank and their purpose as Metrobankers. He led with the highest level of integrity, while he worked with deep passion for results. He enjoined everyone to work together as a team with one goal in mind—to remain true and committed for the service of our customers.

Such a commitment has clearly trickled down to each Metrobanker today, thus assuring customers that no matter your transaction with your bank—whether you’re taking out a loan or setting up a deposit account—your investment will be taken care of.

Customer care

Is it easy for you to get in touch with your bank? Make sure to choose a bank that provides various avenues for feedback, as this will come in handy should you run into any problems with your home loans, for instance, or any bank transaction.

Metrobank has in place a so-called “escalation procedure” that will allow it to address its customers’ feedback and resolve issues immediately. It believes that feedback about its products and services will allow the bank to serve its customers better.

At Metrobank, you can easily send an e-mail, call, or visit any of its branches to lodge your complaint. In case you have further concerns about how your problem was handled, you can elevate it to the Quality and Customer Experience Division of Metrobank or to the Financial Consumer Affairs Group of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

CSR projects

A bank that believes in paying it forward is a pretty good indication of the culture it espouses. Most Philippine banks woudl usually have their own corporate social responsibility projects, including Metrobank, whose founder has a big heart for the community they serve.

The Metrobank Foundation Inc., the CSR arm of the Metrobank Group, implements various programs on education, visual arts, health, and in the recognition of excellence among key professions. It also maintains a dynamic partnership with other organizations that provide similar services for the underprivileged and marginalized sectors of society and remains responsive to aid survivors of natural calamities.

Data from its website showed that the Metrobank Foundation, which has emerged as one of the country’s most active corporate philanthropic organizations, has flagship programs including the Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos; Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE); Metrobank Scholarship Program (MSP); Metrobank MTAP-DepEd Math Challenge (MMC); Grants and Social Development Partnerships, Disaster Response, National Teachers’ Month (NTM) celebration, and the Metrobank Foundation Professorial Chair Lectures.

All these programs, according to the Foundation, seek to inspire people to excel in what they do, engage them and the communities they belong to, and empower them to become agents of positive change and influence—all for the onward pursuit of nation-building.

“In the business of banking, it is not only important to make money; it is more important to earn and keep the trust of people and help them make more money from their investments or businesses,” Dr. Ty earlier said. “Banking is not merely the business of money, but is really the business of trust. A proper banker loves the business and protects the interests of people and serves the community.”

There is no doubt that partnering with a bank like Metrobank, with its passion, commitment, and big heart, your home and investment will definitely be in good hands.