CLEVELAND, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- There are many important
measures of a company's strength, but perhaps most the important measure for
National City (NYSE: NCC) is the strong and loyal relationships it has with
its customers, relationships built over 163 years of service.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030428/NATIONALCITYLOGO )
That's one reason the company has continued to gain market share, even in
these tumultuous times, and has risen from the 11th to the seventh largest
bank in the country by deposits according to the FDIC.
"We have extraordinarily loyal customers who have stayed with us
throughout the market fluctuations, and in many cases expanded their
relationships," said National City Chairman, President and CEO Peter E.
Raskind. "We earn that loyalty from them every day in the personal service
our employees provide, from simply knowing our customers by name to going the
extra mile to exceed their expectations."
To showcase the strength of its customer relationships and to give people
a taste of what it's like to be a National City customer, the company has
launched a new Web site (NationalCity.com/RealStories) featuring real
customers telling their personal stories about why they are so loyal to
National City.
The stories were collected as part of research National City recently
conducted, in which the company interviewed more than 5,000 customers to
better understand the dynamics of their loyalty. A common theme emerged:
Nearly every story centered on a National City employee who went out of his or
her way to help a particular customer overcome an obstacle or work through
some financial situation.
"What's often lost in discussions about the relative strength of banks
these days is that behind the numbers, there's an important human element
that's contributing to customer retention and acquisition," said Raskind. "In
our case, customer loyalty has provided us with a strong deposit base and
foundation for future growth, and it's one of the reasons we continue to be
optimistic about our future."
The site will be promoted by advertisements placed in more than 160
regional publications throughout National City's nine-state footprint today.
New stories will debut on the site every few weeks, and each is complemented
by a series of integrated pop-up facts that give visitors a behind-the-scenes
peek into how each story developed.
About National City
National City Corporation (NYSE: NCC), headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio,
is one of the nation's largest financial holding companies. The company
operates through an extensive banking network primarily in Ohio, Florida,
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin
and also serves customers in selected markets nationally. Its core businesses
include corporate and retail banking, mortgage financing and servicing,
consumer finance and asset management. For more information about National
City, visit the company's Web site at www.nationalcity.com.
SOURCE National City Corporation