Abstract

It is widely believed that the recent international financial crisis has changed the bank customer preferences and behaviors leading to a generalized loss of confidence in the banking system. The aim of this study is to verify whether or not there has been a real loss of confidence in banks' customers and if bank workers perceived this phenomenon. In particular, in order to investigate the perception of the banking industry, we have choose to focus our research on local banks, which are characterized by proximity to the territory and a close relationship with their customers. Because of the close interdependence with the social and economic communities in which it is established, the local bank is expected to more easily perceive any change in customer behavior. The impact of the crisis on bank customer relationship is examined through the analysis of the literature. The perception of the banks by the crisis impact on their client relationships is investigated by interviewing a sample of some employees of local banks operating in Italy. The work concludes with an analysis of possible competitive levers activated by local banks to consolidate the relationship with its customers. The research results indicate that there was a change in bank-customer relationship as a consequence of the crisis and that this change was perceived by banks employees.