OREANDA-NEWS. February 15, 2011. Russia’s North West Banking Association has compiled a list of the twenty best bank websites in the North West region

The websites were judged using five criteria – design, ease of use, presentation of information on the bank, its services and branch network, financial reporting, and overall accessibility to key facts and figures. The results are posted on the NWBA site.

Uniastrum Bank launched its new-look Internet site in summer 2010, providing users with quicker and easier access to comprehensive information on the Bank, its products and services, up-to-the-minute news regarding regional branches and for specific customer groups, as well as the opportunity to establish a direct relationship with the Bank online. Today, besides offering interactive tools such as credit calculators, help with product choice, online application forms to receive services and advice, the website is progressively being integrated with a corporate CRM system, making for enhanced Bank-client interaction.

The site’s information tools, which include an interactive question and answer service on the Bank’s most popular products, continue to expand. The site also features regular opinion polls on a variety of banking solutions, the results of which are then studied and used by Uniastrum’s business units when devising new services. Feedback from site visitors on the Bank’s online resources is closely monitored. Since the new version was launched more than 900 comments have been received, with some 75% of users rating the website as “good” or “excellent”.

“The oldest member of Russia’s Internet Banking community, Uniastrum remains committed to increasing its global Internet facilities,” says Alexander Kurinny, Director of the Bank’s IT Department. “Notwithstanding the enormous amount of effort put into creating the new website, we are continuing to implement a whole range of innovative ideas and services. Ever mindful of the need to stay attuned to the needs of our website audience, we have started to focus more heavily on heightening our presence on popular social networking sites.”