07/31/2013
RBS Citizens Financial Group makes checking accounts easy to understand
Simple, easy-to-use guides to Citizens Bank and Charter One checking accounts describe key fees and features in plain language
Additional online resource center offers video tutorials and other information to help customers manage their accounts and avoid overdrafts
Providence, RI (July 31, 2013) – RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc. today announced a new program that makes it easy for Citizens Bank and Charter One customers to understand checking account features, manage their accounts more effectively and avoid being surprised by overdrafts.
The initiative consists of two new resources: plain language guides to checking accounts now available online and in branches, and an additional online resource center providing information on overdraft protection through educational articles and videos:
* How Your Checking Account Works
* Overdraft Options
* Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
“Our customers typically choose to bank with us because of how easy it is to access their accounts at their local branch, at an ATM, online or on their mobile phones,” said Brad Conner, Vice Chairman of Consumer Banking for RBS Citizens Financial Group. “We want to make the information about how their Citizens Bank and Charter One checking accounts work just as easy to access, and we are excited to be introducing these new tools to help customers manage their accounts and avoid unwanted overdrafts and other fees.”
The two-page checking account guides are modeled on guidance from the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project.
“Too often, the terms, fees, and conditions of consumer checking accounts are hard to find, exposing customers to high, unexpected costs,” said Susan Weinstock, director of Pew’s safe checking research. “We applaud RBS Citizens Financial Group for providing its checking accountholders with critical information in a clear format that will make important terms easier for current and future consumers to understand.”
There is a separate guide for each of the bank’s consumer checking accounts: Green Checking, Checking with Interest and Circle Gold Checking with Interest. Information in each checking account guide is organized in six categories:
* Account Opening and Usage
* Standard Overdraft Practices for All Accounts
* Overdraft Protection Plans
* Other Account Services
* Processing Policies
* Dispute Resolution
The new checking guides are now available in addition to existing account agreements and other fees and features guides that provide the full terms, conditions and fees governing Citizens Bank and Charter One checking accounts.
About RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc
RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is a $126 billion commercial bank holding company. It is headquartered in Providence, R.I., and through its subsidiaries has approximately 1,400 branches, more than 3,600 ATMs and nearly 19,000 colleagues. Its two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A., and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. RBSCFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in more than 30 states. RBSCFG is owned by RBS (the Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc). RBSCFG’s website is citizensbank.com.
