All banking regulatory bureaus, policy banks, state-owned commercial banks, joint-stock commercial banks, postal savings banks, provincial rural credit cooperatives, trust companies, finance companies and financial leasing companies directly supervised by the CBRC:
In order to protect the legitimate rights and interests of financial consumers, standardize the handling of customer complaints of banking financial institutions, and enhance the awareness of social responsibility and overall service level of the banking industry, relevant matters are hereby notified as follows:
First, we attach great importance to the system construction of customer complaint management. Banking financial institutions should systematically establish unified and efficient complaint handling procedures and supporting mechanisms according to their own products and services, scale and organizational structure, and the nature and complexity of complaints that may be received, so as to ensure the effective operation of complaint handling procedures.
Second, clarify the departments that handle customer complaints and their responsibilities. Banking financial institutions shall specify the centralized management department of the Bank for handling customer complaints, ensure the relative independence of the departments and personnel responsible for handling complaints from the complained incidents, and establish inspection, supervision and assessment systems. If the poor handling of customer complaints leads to large-scale customer complaints, the senior management personnel and the person directly responsible shall be investigated for responsibility.
Third, optimize the allocation of customer complaint handling resources. Banking financial institutions should enrich the strength of customer complaint handling personnel, strengthen the training of customer complaint handling personnel, and give appropriate support in science and technology and expenses to ensure the effective operation of complaint handling mechanism.
Fourth, make clear the timeliness requirements for handling customer complaints. Banking financial institutions should promptly respond to customer complaints and conduct investigations, properly solve them within different time limits according to the complexity of their business, and finally give a reply. If it can't be handled within the scheduled time, they need to explain the reason to the customer.
V. Ensure the openness and transparency of customer complaint handling information. Banking financial institutions should take effective measures to make customers clearly understand the procedures, channels, methods and expected handling time of complaints, and at the same time ensure that relevant internal staff are familiar with their own procedures and relevant regulations for handling complaints and handle complaints in strict accordance with the procedures.
Six, pay attention to the confidentiality of customer complaint information. Banking financial institutions should take appropriate measures to strengthen the confidentiality and custody of the identity of complaining customers and related complaint materials, so as to avoid damaging the interests of complaining customers and causing adverse effects.
Seven, strengthen the statistical work of customer complaint handling. The statistics on the handling of customer complaints of banking financial institutions should include the total number of complaints, the number of verified complaints, the number of complaints with final answers and the number of complaints converted into legal proceedings, and should also be classified according to products, services, channels, employee behavior, internal management, financial crimes and customer satisfaction.
Eight, the establishment of a regular reporting system. Banking financial institutions shall regularly report the handling of complaints to the senior management, and report major complaints to the banking regulatory agency in a timely manner.
Nine, the establishment of regular inspection and review system. Banking financial institutions should constantly improve the policies, procedures and mechanisms for complaint handling through regular inspections and reviews, and promote and improve the quality of products and services through reflection and summary of complaint cases. Regular inspections and reviews should be conducted by departments that are not responsible for complaint handling to ensure the fairness and effectiveness of inspections and reviews.
Ten, the banking financial institutions shall report the complaint handling procedures and relevant regulations to the CBRC for the record, and at the end of each year to the CBRC written report on the operation of relevant mechanisms.
Eleven, the banking association, the trust industry association, the financial company association is responsible for the statistics, analysis and guidance of the complaint handling data of the relevant banking financial institutions.
12. If the customer complains to the banking financial institution but fails to obtain satisfactory results, he can further complain to the relevant industry associations or even the CBRC. Trade associations should establish and publish corresponding mechanisms for accepting and handling re-complaints, and banking supervision departments should strengthen supervision, inspection and evaluation of bank complaint handling. When necessary, the CBRC and industry associations will disclose customer complaint information of banking financial institutions.
All banking regulatory bureaus are requested to forward this notice to all banking financial institutions within their jurisdiction.
October 11th, 2007
The information comes from official website of China Banking Regulatory Commission.