Briliant, The New BancPost Credit

Interview with Mrs. Elena Petculescu, the president of Banc Post

With over half million of Visa cards issued till present time, Banc Post established a new record and proved the fact that Romanians are tempted to use…the plastic money. "Railway bank" has become member of the International Visa in 1995, being in the same time the first bank in Romania, which has issued a Visa card in RO lei - Visa Electron. In fact, presently, it is the leader on the Romanian market of cards, with a record number of issued cards. More than that, the last statistics Visa were placing Banc Post on the ninth position in the top of the Visa cards issuers in Central and Eastern Europe. During the fiscal year concluded in June, the possessors of Banc Post cards have performed the impressing number of 7 million transactions, summing over 175 million USD. Half million of Visa cards represent the proof of the fact that the partnership between Banc Post and Visa is a successful one. Visa cards have allowed the extension of the portfolio of quality services and the consolidation in a relatively short time of its own base of retail clients.


Railway Journal: Banc Post has been founded in year 1991 and till present time it succeeded to develop 127 units all over the country. Is there a secret for this performance?
Elena Petculescu: These 10 years of sustained activity have demonstrated the fact that when a bank does its best in order to respect "the golden law" of a financial management institution - gaining the trust of the clients - it has the satisfaction to obtain the desired results.
I can tell you that Banc Post succeeded to impose itself on the market and especially to gain the trust of people through the safety that it provides, although our country is experiencing a transitional economy, characterized by inherent difficulties of the reforming processes, of the inflation, of the sub-capitalization, of the cash flow existing on the market, and not at last, by a great sensibility of the population towards the banking institution, caused by the irreversible failures of certain banks. This is the aspect that counted most of all in our development and success along this decade.
Banc Post has been founded in 1991, pursuant to the reorganization of the communications sector, with a social capital of only 226 million lei. We were aware at that moment that it will be a difficult and long way. We had a great satisfaction when our first operational year, 1992, was concluded with a profit and with units opened almost in all the districts of the country.
The social capital of the bank has been increased year by year, so that presently we are included in the category of the first banks in Romania. Helped by a lively and well - trained professional team, we have developed rapidly a strong network of our own units which are distributed with a certain balance in the territory. Our permanent concern was the provision of an easy and rapid access of the clients to our products and services even in the most distanced areas of the country. The conclusion of a commercial convention on a long term with the Romanian Post Office for the selling of bank's products in over 2,500 post offices has been a very good idea.
R.J.: The Government of Romania has decided six years ago that the interests of the Railways to be represented by a bank. Can you tell me why Banc Post and not other banking institution in the country?
E.P.: Indeed, Romanian Railways and Banc Post have started this cooperation since 1995, when the Government has decided that the financial problems specific to the Railways have to be solved by a bank. That moment we have taken over this task knowing very well the railway activity and being fully convinced that we will achieve successfully our obligations towards such a special client; this fact was also confirmed up to now. I have succeeded to use my long experience in the field of the Railways (I have 30 years of service), fact that meant a complete understanding between us during the negotiations and at the conclusion of the collaboration conventions, in the advantage of both parties.
R.J.: Which are presently the relationships between Banc Post and railway companies, in the context in which lately there have been made changes in the management positions?
E.P.: SNCFR meant, for us, a special client and we have adapted permanently to the problems specific to the activities of this company, offering it the necessary assistance. We have tried hard to provide it quality services and to meet with maximum of efficiency the demands of the railway companies. Our bank and SNCFR, both we have past through profound changes lately. Banc Post has been privatized, SNCFR has been split in several companies. The collaboration between us continued to be very good during all this period and we have no reason to change anything in this respect.
R.J: Can you tell us about the main instruments made available for the rail personnel by your institution and which are the banking advantages that you are offering to them?
E.P.: Railway employees can take advantage of credits with a reduced interest in comparison with the one practiced in usual cases by Banc Post. They are receiving their wages on Ultra Visa cards or Millenium Europay without paying the issuing tax and take advantage of the uncovered accounts afferent to these cards. An additional service for the cards - Total Account - allows to the owners to pay phone bill directly from ATM and to transfer amounts of money from the card account in their personal current account.
R.J.: Banc Post is the leader on the Romanian market in point of issued cards. How do you succeed to maintain this position?
E.P.: We have succeeded to develop the activity of cards through important investments in this field, as well as through the installation of a large network of ATMs (cash withdrawal) and POSs (selling points). Presently Banc Post has exceeded 600,000 cards issued and it is the leader on the Visa cards market in Romania. We will continue to be very lively on the market by launching new cards. The news issued by Banc Post Briliant card - has an account in RO lei, but can be used worldwide, at any ATM or POS where it is displayed the sign Visa Electron. The bank performs automatically the exchange in the currency. Briliant is a card with zero interest for the credit utilized and reimbursed during the same month. The possessors can obtain a credit, which level is differentiated according to the incomes and the reimbursement capacity - an average of two net salaries -, and the maximal granted amount is of 3000 USD. The reimbursement of the credit will be performed monthly, and it is equivalent to 20% from the value of the loan. I would also like to inform the rail personnel, as well as all persons interested that Briliant card is issued in association with a debit card - Ultra or Millenium -, fact that simplifies the reimbursement procedure of the credit, especially for the persons who receive the salary on the card. I can appreciate that the new credit card is in fact an invitation to utilize the electronic money and an impulse to quit using the cash.
R.J.: At our last meeting you were saying that another field in which you would like to impose is the mortgage credit…
E.P.: We have elaborated the norms of this product and we still have to finish up a few aspects of operational nature. We believe that in the first part of the next year Banc Post will start the activity of mortgage crediting.
R.J.: Finally, would you like to tell us if there is the case for the rail personnel to worry for their savings deposited at Banc Post.
E.P.: Banc Post has succeeded along the time to prove the fact that it is a safe and stable bank. We always had a prudential policy appropriate to the existing situation and we have succeeded to maintain ourselves at the smallest rate of the non-operational credits from the whole Romanian banking system, presently this being of only 1.9%. I want to assure you that Banc Post will continue to be the bank that the rail personnel will approach trustfully.

Oana Bran