Postbank merk verdwijnt in 2009
I was a little upset when I saw the news from the Dutch ING bank about ending the brand Postbank in 2009. From 2009 ING will do everything from one label: The ING. They stop with the Postbank brand to improve service and cut costs. In The Netherlands the financial branche is reshaping with also the ABN AMRO for sale. We think that the consumers are waiting to see what exactly will happen. But this is not what the consumer does.
Some facts:
- Huntingseason is opened on ABN AMRO customers - survey showed that 41% is disappointed that the ABN AMRO loses it's independence.
- There are two new websites opened for customers of the ABN AMRO. Here they can and do unite. Vereniging klanten ABN AMRO and Rekeninghouders ABN AMROÂ
- The government opened a change service to help people easily change of financial services.On the overstapservice website consumers and companies can use this service which makes is easy to change bank
- And of course the many initiatives of banks itself to get a hold of the customers of others banks.
The turbulence in the financial branche is fierce in the Netherlands and maybe this will lead more and more people towards initiatives like peer-to-peer banking. I am very curiuos what will happen there? Recently Eugène Roorda said some true things about banking in The Netherlands:
Some (Molblog) had foreseen this story of Postbank but I think it is a said story. I do not care much about brands but I must admit that Postbank is one I am positive about. So I hope ING will do best with the Postbank and I hope that I will notice not anything about the transformation of the Postbank towards ING.Service is still very thin at banks, it is hard to become a customer at a Dutch bank. There is no hospitality and service and that while every bank says that that is the most important thing to survice the future.
Banks love money above people. The first bank which can change that will be the winner.