“NCBA has always been part of the Financial Information Month in terms of sponsoring as a financial institution, partnering with the ECCB to bring to you financial information.” That was affirmed by Ms. Karen Hodge, Executive Assistant and Corporate Officer at NCBA, during a sit down at the Financial Information Month Road Show with DJ Hammer, of Klass Radio 92.9 FM.
& Ms Marisa Gumbs
Continuing, Ms. Hodge said: “We are pleased to partner with ECCB to empower customers through education, not only to achieve financial security and manage their finances prudently, but to take advantage of the bank’s digital services, which will enable them the convenience to transact during these unprecedented times.”
Ms. Marisa Gumbs, Manager of Projects and Cards, spoke about a number of services which NCBA offers to its many customers. She pointed out that many new services have been rolled out as a result of the COVID pandemic lockdown, which also help to support social distancing. She said: “As part of the Financial Information Month, we are embarking on our digital drive, a drive that we have embarked on about a year and a half ago when we [were] full-fledged into the pandemic and banking was changed as a result of the lockdown.
“We were able to upgrade our online banking services to allow customers to perform [more] transactions online. One of the significant upgrades is the ability for customers to transfer funds to a third party online. Added to that, [customers] are allowed to pay over 40 merchants in Anguilla in addition to the main bill payment companies: ANGLEC, Flow and Digicel.” Ms. Gumbs further indicated that NCBA has noticed significant increase in the number of customers and merchants using the online banking services.
She continued: “We also offer the NCBA debit card which allows customers [the option] to not come in to the bank for money. They can now use the card at various merchants in Anguilla and overseas as well. Our debit card customers also have the opportunity to sign up for Visa Purchase Alert.” Ms. Gumbs explained that once the free Visa Purchase Alert feature is activated and the debit card is used online or out of Anguilla, the customer will receive, in real time, an email alert regarding the transaction. “In that way, they [the customer] can monitor the account in real time.”
Regarding NCBA’s wire transfer service, Ms. Gumbs stated that, “two weeks ago we launched a partnership with IBIS Management and SWISS Routes Services for the Alchemy software. That [partnership] would allow us to turn around the wire transfer, both incoming and outgoing, in a much shorter period of time, as we would have indicated in our press conference. That straight-through processing will allow for the wires to be done in a much more efficient and a more effective and shorter time frame.”
In terms of customer online security, Ms. Gumbs stated: “We have our MIS Team and the Alchemy platform to enhance our cyber security efforts. Another added security effort, which I think puts us at an advantage, is that you are not allowed to transfer funds outside of the bank, [meaning], all funds are transferred within the bank network. As we continue to grow and evolve, we will have to go further into those online services and increase our online security.”
Ms. Gumbs explained that, going forward, NCBA will be offering contactless cards and that the ATM machines will also be able to access those cards as well. She said: “In keeping with the digital drive, coming soon, we will have our contactless cards and our ATM’s will also have the ability to accept [them]. We are now in the pilot and testing phase for our machines.”
Romare Kelsick, Senior Supervisor of Data Processing, reminded customers that they can now transfer EC funds electronically to other EC accounts within the Eastern Caribbean Region. He encouraged customers to update their customer information to ensure they are receiving the most efficient bank services. He also encouraged customers to sign up for the debit cards and take advantage of the secure online banking opportunities provided at NCBA. Businesses are also encouraged to enquire about NCBA’s electronic payroll service and take advantage of that quick and efficient modern banking feature.
