Padraic Kissane appointed to board of Bank Culture Board!

Brendan Burgess

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I understood that they were having a 7.30 breakfast launch this morning?

Maybe no one went to it as it's not really in their culture to start so early on a Monday morning?

Brendan
 
I understood that they were having a 7.30 breakfast launch this morning?

Maybe no one went to it as it's not really in their culture to start so early on a Monday morning?

Brendan
Saucer of milk!
According to RTÉ 'The Irish Banking Culture Board is to be chaired by retired Court of Appeal judge Mr Justice John Hedigan.'
Will Goodbody has just shared a screen capture on twitter of the members.

  • Angela Black, Chief Exec, Citizens Information Board
  • Professor Blanaid Clarek, McCann Fitzgerald Chair of Corporate Law at Trinity
  • Dara Deering, Executive Director and Head of Retail Banking at KBC
  • Jane Howard, CEO Ulster Bank
  • Padraic Kissane (needs no introductions)
  • Ger Mitchell, Group HR Director PTSB
  • Robert Mulhall, MD, AIB Consumer Banking
  • Vincent Mulvey, Group Chief Risk Officer, Bank of Ireland Group
  • Gareth Murphy, Acting General Secretary, Financial Services Union
  • Philip O'Leary, Managing Partner, Head of Commercial Department, Fitzgerald Legal & Advisory
  • Sue O'Neill, Chair of the Small Firms Association and MD of Shellcove
  • Martin Sapleton, Chair of the Farm Business Committee, IFA
 
Hi SS
He was in the press release.

Brendan





CHANGING BANKING CULTURE IN IRELAND


  • Independent Irish Banking Culture Board launches today
  • 14 members of the Board announced
  • Publication of a national public and stakeholder consultation report and a banking staff employee culture survey – both undertaken to inform the IBCB’s establishment
  • “The role of the Irish Banking Culture Board will be to promote and measure an environment in which: ethical behaviour is made inevitable; fair customer outcomes are achieved; and reputation for competence is rediscovered.” Mr. Justice John Hedigan, Chairman of the Irish Banking Culture Board

Dublin – Monday 15th April 2019: Today the Irish Banking Culture Board (IBCB) officially launches and also announces its appointed Board members. This is following an in-depth public and stakeholder consultation and a separate bank employee culture survey, which were undertaken to inform the IBCB’s establishment, both of which are also being published today. As part of the public and stakeholder consultation, almost 750 members of the public shared their views via an online survey and 38 face to face interviews with 51 key stakeholders, both within and outside the banking industry, including customers, the business community, members of representative bodies and the political system, took place. Furthermore, over 25,000 bank employees (from Allied Irish Banks, Bank of Ireland, KBC Bank Ireland, Permanent TSB and Ulster Bank) were invited to participate in the employee culture survey, conducted for the IBCB by the UK Banking Standards Board. The findings from both of these consultations have provided key insights into banking culture and have informed the selection of the IBCB Board members and will assist them in determining the IBCB’s priority areas of focus.


The IBCB is an industry initiative, established with the aim of rebuilding trust in the sector and promoting fair customer outcomes. With the knowledge that public trust in the banking sector is damaged, the CEOs of the five retail banks in Ireland – Allied Irish Banks, Bank of Ireland, KBC Bank Ireland, Permanent TSB and Ulster Bank – announced the creation of this new independent entity in September 2018.


Speaking at the launch event, Michael D'Arcy TD, Minister of State at the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, with special responsibility for Financial Services and Insurance: “I am delighted to be welcoming the launch of such an important organisation today. It is clear that public trust in banking is diminished and has been for some time. Rebuilding trust is critical, necessary and overdue. The establishment of the Irish Banking Culture Board (IBCB) with its clear focus on culture is, I believe, a crucial step in that process.



There is a real need to promote a sustainable banking sector that adheres to the highest standards of professionalism in its treatment of customers. I commend the banking industry for establishing this initiative and holding up a mirror to their profession. I look forward to the finalisation the Board’s work programme in the coming months.”



The IBCB’s goal will be to act as an advocate for cultural change in the banking sector. The newly appointed IBCB consists of fourteen individuals, including the current Chairman and Acting CEO of the Board. They are as follows:


  • Mr. Justice John Hedigan, Chairman of the IBCB
  • Marion Kelly, Acting CEO of the IBCB
  • Angela Black, Chief Executive, Citizens Information Board
  • Professor Blanaid Clarke, McCann FitzGerald Chair in Corporate Law at Trinity College Dublin
  • Dara Deering, Executive Director and Head of Retail Banking, KBC Bank Ireland
  • Jane Howard, CEO, Ulster Bank
  • Padraic Kissane, Padraic Kissane Financial Services
  • Ger Mitchell, Group HR Director, Permanent TSB
  • Robert Mulhall, Managing Director, AIB Consumer Banking
  • Vincent Mulvey, Group Chief Risk Officer, Bank of Ireland Group
  • Gareth Murphy, Acting General Secretary, Financial Services Union
  • Philip O'Leary, Managing Partner, Head of Commercial Department, FitzGerald Legal & Advisory
  • Sue O’Neill, Chair of the Small Firms Association (SFA) and Managing Director of Shellcove (AMC)
  • Martin Stapleton, Chair of the Farm Business Committee, Irish Farmer’s Association (IFA)

Chairman of the Irish Banking Culture Board, Mr. Justice John Hedigan said: “Following a loss of trust in the banking sector, rebuilding wider society’s confidence in the industry will not happen overnight; it will take time, courage and commitment. That journey begins in earnest today, informed by the voices of bank staff, customers and stakeholders from across Irish society.



The composition of the Board is clearly critical to its success. Today’s announced appointments were carefully considered and are based on feedback from stakeholders throughout our consultation. It is important that the banking sector should be represented on the Board, and their representatives hold senior positions that can influence companywide decisions. Stakeholders supported this decision and the principle that the Board should be majority composed of non-bank representatives. We were also mindful that our Board needed to represent independent voices, including the voice of the public. We are most grateful to those who shared their valued views and perspectives which not only informed the appointment of our Board but will also inform the work of this important new body.



I am also pleased to announce that Dr Martin McAleese has accepted my invitation to be Patron of the IBCB. He has been closely involved in this project since its inception and remains so today. I thank Martin for taking up this invitation and look forward to consulting with him in the future.”


Marion Kelly, Acting CEO of the Irish Banking Culture Board, said, “In establishing the IBCB, we have been acutely aware of the importance of asking for and listening to the views of bank stakeholders, in particular bank staff and customers as regards current banking culture and how the IBCB can work to change this for the better.



Much of this feedback makes sobering reading, however it was important and necessary for the sector to ask for, and to listen to, these views – to hold the mirror up and to be prepared to act on what it reflects. Through the consultation we have identified a role for the IBCB to help banks be more transparent, and to benchmark their progress in changing the way they conduct themselves for the good of their staff and the people and communities they serve. Each of the five founding member banks has its own internal culture change programme underway and progress is being made. However, the bank employee culture survey shows that more work is required to create an open environment where staff feel comfortable to raise concerns, where concerns are listened to and where staff’s sense of well-being is a key focus.



The challenge now is to translate the views expressed during the consultation and survey process into actions that result in positive. While we recognise there is a long road ahead, the fact that an overwhelming 85% of the public, who participated in the consultation, stated they supported the establishment of the IBCB is a great starting point. I would like to thank all of the stakeholders – public, expert and banking staff – who generously gave of their time to contribute to the consultation and survey process. Your views have been heard and will form the foundation of both how the IBCB is structured and what it focusses on.”



ENDS
 
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And the Indo article - just not in alphabetical order. I presume that they omitted it by mistake and corrected it later.

Brendan

The members of the IBCB are:

Angela Black, CEO Citizens Information Board

Professor Blanaid Clarke, Trinity College

Dara Deering, director and head of retail banking, KBC

Jane Howard, CEO Ulster Bank

Ger Mitchell, HR director, Permanent TSB

Robert Muhall, MD AIB consumer banking

Vincent Mulvey, chief risk officer, Bank of Ireland

Gareth Murphy, acting general secretary, Financial Services Union

Philip O'Leary, managing partner, Fitzgerald Legal & Advisory

Sue O'Neill, chair of Small Firms Association

Martin Stapleton, Irish Farmers Association

Padraic Kissane, consumer representative
 
I will be discussing this on Matt Cooper at 17.05 this evening, so I went looking for the results of the stakeholder survey

Notes to Editor


  • The IBCB will not act as a lobbying or representative organisation. It will not act as a regulatory body nor duplicate the work of individual banks or the regulator.


  • The establishment costs and annual running costs associated with the IBCB are being funded by the five Irish retail banks: Allied Irish Banks, Bank of Ireland, KBC Bank Ireland, Permanent TSB and Ulster Bank.


Public and stakeholder consultation



Included below are some of the key findings from the public and stakeholder consultation.


  • Acting ethically, customers and transparency are key focus areas – ensuring banks act in accordance with and are held accountable to the highest possible ethical standards (83%), ensuring customers are treated fairly (61%) and promoting a culture of transparency (60%) are the top three focus areas for the IBCB, according to those surveyed.
  • The need for the sector to treat all customers with respect. This theme of a need to demonstrate greater respect included the means of communicating with all customers – whether through the tone and frequency of letters to those in financial difficulties; the number of phone calls required to get through to someone who could assist with an issue – particularly for customers in distress; or the difficulties experienced by customers seeking a face to face meeting with a bank;
  • The need for the sector to consider the needs of marginalised or vulnerable customers and those in rural communities that are impacted by the evolution of the banking model – particularly via the move to digitalisation;
  • The need for the sector to support financial education amongst their customers, including ‘just in time’ education prior to making significant financial decisions;
  • The need for greater transparency in communications – specifically, less jargon in documentation but also transparency when things go wrong – there is a general acceptance that mistakes happen but what is key is that when they do happen, they are quickly acknowledged, steps to resolve are clearly communicated; progress is explained, and banks learn from their mistakes;
  • The need for the sector to consider the banking needs of smaller business and how they are impacted by the move to less face to face banking engagement – particularly SMEs and farmers.
 
Even for Ireland this is beyond farcical. So we have Dara Deering of KBC on the board. That's KBC bank that routinely applies interim legal costs in repossession cases to borrowers' mortgage accounts, before cases reach conclusion and without any direction from a judge for costs, which they have absolutely no right whatsoever to do. And now she's tasked with making sure the banking sector acts ethically and treats customers with respect ? How do they keep straight faces?
 
How do they keep straight faces?

That is a good point. The meetings will be very funny.
"Let's commission a report into ethics in the mortgage market".
"OK, but it should not cover mortgage rates, trackers or the sale to vulture funds - commercial decisions are beyond our remit".

Brendan
 
Is this not a conflict of interest for p Kissane??
How can he represent clients against PTSB margin issue and be on a board funded by PTSB (& all major banks)?
 
Is this not a conflict of interest for p Kissane??

I don't see any conflict.

But let's say that ptsb or KBC really wanted to make amends and appoint a consumer representative to the board. Would it not be a good idea to have Padraic on the board representing the consumers?

I don't see this committee as anything other than a talking shop. They will issue an annual report. They will ask a PR company to conduct surveys. They will make a few recommendations. They will probably hold a conference or two.

I think it might be a distraction for Padraic, but not a conflict of interest.

Brendan
 
it's well paid all the same. I put in a question to Edelman PR

  • What is the Board’s budget for the year
    • The five founding member banks, and their CEOs, have fully committed to supporting the establishment and ongoing activity of the IBCB and fully funding its budget. The Board will need to define its work programme and priority areas of focus before it can finalise its budget – but the five founding banks have committed to providing all funding required.


  • How much are the Board members being paid
    • The 5 bank representatives on the Board will not be receiving any compensation. As a trade union representative for staff in the banking sector, Gareth Murphy, the Acting General Secretary of the FSU, will also not be taking compensation for this role. The other members of the Board will be receiving remuneration of €30k per annum, which is reflective of the time commitment expected of board members.
 
Brendan,
You spoke well on the radio. I notice that you rightly referenced the 6,000 AIB cases. However I think it should be noted that there are customers right across most of the pillar banks who have strong cases for tracker restoration and redress and who have been arbitrarily left out by the banks

. the narrative among those not familiar with this is that the issue has been addressed already, which of course is untrue.

I believe it is important that commentators like yourself hammer home the message repeatedly that the tracker issue has not been addressed fully no matter how much the banks (and the Central Bank) want us to move on and it isn't just the AIB cases.

This public pressure is crucial if we are to get justice.
 
HI GS

Thanks for your comments.
I was giving examples - interest rates, trackers and vulture funds.

I was not listing out all cases in detail.

I raised the 6,000 AIB customers in particular because Michael McGrath spoke about them in the context of banking culture and the new board. In my view, these are the clearest of all outstanding cases at the moment. Interestingly enough, I have never heard Padraic Kissane arguing their case in public, but I have heard him address many others. So maybe he believes more in the others than I do?

Brendan
 
Hello,

It would be interesting to have a chat with the Union Rep who has been appointed regarding the 2018 staff survey and see if he thinks it genuinely reflects the views of staff (not to be confused with senior management) etc.

Dig a little deeper, and it may quickly point everyone in the right direction, in terms of some of the things that need fixing in the Irish Banks.
 
HI GS

Thanks for your comments.
I was giving examples - interest rates, trackers and vulture funds.

I was not listing out all cases in detail.

I raised the 6,000 AIB customers in particular because Michael McGrath spoke about them in the context of banking culture and the new board. In my view, these are the clearest of all outstanding cases at the moment. Interestingly enough, I have never heard Padraic Kissane arguing their case in public, but I have heard him address many others. So maybe he believes more in the others than I do?

Brendan
Brendan You are wrong again in regards to my position regarding AIB "1615" cases as I refer to them

As regards to other comments about the Board take a look at my record and maybe give a little bit of credit as many appear/remain ignorant of my efforts on behalf of all
Padraic
 
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