OREANDA-NEWS. January 17, 2011. As SEB Bank strives to improve its payment cards information system, it will be integrated into the new core banking information system of the bank. The technical aspects of the project will be implemented in two stages during the first half a year. The first stage will start on 22 January, in the night of Friday to Saturday, and will continue till 23 January, Sunday morning. For this reason some banking services of SEB Bank in Lithuania temporary will be unavailable as well as there will be some changes in customer branches working hours.

Since 1.00 a.m. on 22 January until 9.00 a.m. on 23 January, Internet banking services, services by telephone, mobile Internet or SMS will not be available, online securities trading system will not operate; there will be no possibility to deposit cash at ATMs. On Saturday 22 January SEB Bank branches, which provide customer service on days-off, will be closed as well.

Please note that during the indicated period SEB Bank customers will be free to use their payment cards as well as cash pay-off ATMs. However, at the night from Saturday to Sunday, i.e., from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. on 23 January, customers will not be able to use their SEB Bank payment cards (debit and credit) temporarily, including cash withdrawal from ATMs. Also at the night from Saturday to Sunday, i.e., from 3 a.m. to 4.30 a.m. on 23 January, customers of other banks will not be able to use their payment cards temporarily using POS terminals of SEB Bank or to withdraw cash at ATMs of SEB Bank.

The bank apologises its customers for any possible inconveniences and kindly recommends them to accomplish all important banking transactions in advance.

A weekend for systems integration works was selected, thus enabling to make changes at the time when customers use banking services less frequently in order to avoid inconveniences for the bank’s customers. Ausra Matuseviciene, Executive Vice President of SEB Bank, Head of Business Support Division and Chief Finance Officer, says: “The weekend was chosen for the systems integration, including the night, as it is the period with the lowest demand to use bank cards and other banking services”.

“The integration of the information systems is the follow-up of the upgrading process of SEB Bank IT systems. The new and modern core banking information system, which is used for providing banking services and for running business processes, was successfully launched in July, 2010. Now the payment cards information system will be integrated into new core banking system of the bank in order to reach the improvement goal”, says A. Matuseviciene.

SEB Bank will also inform its customers in advance about the second and final systems integration stage planned in the first half of this year.

By improving its IT systems and services SEB Bank strives to provide more possibilities to debit card holders. Upon completion of the two systems integration the debit cards will be related with the bank accounts, providing:

Connection of several debit cards with one bank account, e.g., the cards hold by family members;

Immediate use of the funds transferred to the account which is related with the debit card, because the funds transferred from other accounts of SEB Bank will be promptly debited;

Continuity of direct debit when a debit card is lost or blocked. If a customer uses automated expense payment service like direct debit or regular payments they will be retained in case of a card loss, because the funds will be credited from the bank account. The customer will only have to come to the branch of SEB Bank to get a new debit card;

Getting payments in other currencies, in spite a debit card is for litas, because the bank account related with the debit card is meant as multi-currency – it is credited with the original transfer currency without automatic conversion. This way a customer has an option of exchange or accumulation of the funds in the credited currency or to decide for suitable time when to perform the exchange. However, using the card for payments a customer will be able to use only the funds from the account in litas while for the use of other currency credited into the account the customer shall have to exchange it into litas.

Such debit cards functionality changes for customers will get into effect upon the integration of the bank’s payment cards information system. The effect of the changes will be announced by a separate notice of SEB Bank in the website of the bank www.seb.lt, national press and personally to customers through the internet banking system or e-mail.