Bank "Financial Initiative": reviews. "Financial Initiative": feedback from clients and employees

When planning to become a client of the bank to make a deposit or open an account, a person first of all studies not only the history of a financial institution, but also numerous reviews. The "financial initiative" is exactly the banking institution that attracts attention. A huge number of branches across Ukraine speaks about the high level of the financial organization, about the demand for its services. On the other hand, there is a rather large amount of negativity and far from credible feedback. Bank "Financial Initiative" offers very interesting terms of partnership, but everything in order.

A bit of history

The bank called "Financial Initiative" is not the last financial institution in Ukraine. Its history began in 2004. At the first stages of its development, the organization offered high-quality services to individuals and legal entities. The institution fully coped with its obligations, and there were no complaints against it. The institution is part of the Association of Ukrainian Banks, is a member of the Kiev Stock Exchange, PFTS and UkrCard. The bank has membership in such solid associations as PARD, UNIA and SWIFT. In accordance with the size of regulatory capital and the volume of assets, the institution is assigned to the second group. Despite the negative feedback, the "Financial Initiative" takes the fourth place in the rating of Ukrainian banks. The amount of the authorized capital is 2 000 000 thousand UAH. For example, for the last reporting period of 2012, the profit of the institution amounted to almost 500 thousand hryvnia. Interest income in pure form for the last reporting period of the same year is equivalent to UAH 1,288,383 thousand. But this is history.

Attractive programs for clients

Bank "Financial Initiative" deposits offers very interesting and with a good interest rate. There are several formats for cooperation with different programs:

• Initiative contribution with a monthly interest payment. Its duration is 12 months.
• Interesting contribution with a monthly interest payment and the possibility of replenishment. The duration of the deposit is 12 months.
• International program with capitalization and the possibility of replenishment. The duration of the program is 12 months.

There are still such deposits as "Capital", "Loyal" and "Practical". All of them differ from each other and provide very favorable conditions for depositors. Until 2012, the deposit programs of the financial institution were exceptionally positive. The Bank "Financial Initiative" paid interest on time and at the end of the term of partnership returned the funds to depositors. The first violations of the partnership rules were noticed in 2013.

Let's turn to the history, consider the actions of the bank today. Bank "Financial Initiative", whose branches are located in different parts of the country, is a purely Ukrainian institution. The owner of its shares is OOO Invest-Service. The post of the chairman of the board of the institution is occupied by Andrei Tsyktor. The financial institution, having assets of UAH 9.9 billion, has been actively involved in interbank operations in recent years. Representatives of the institution are engaged in attracting material resources at very high rates. It is worth noting that more than 50% of the funds raised by the bank are, in fact, interbank loans. More than 80% of money placed on interbank trades are loans to legal entities. The media regularly leaks information that the owner is the main creditor of the bank, but not personally, but in the person of a businessman. Bakhmatyuk, who is also the official owner of the institution, systematically rejects this theory, insisting that his business does not credit through cooperation with affiliated banks.

Despite adversities

Working since 2004, the bank "Financial Initiative", employee feedback about which had a positive connotation, always fulfilled its obligations to customers. Despite the difficulties that the owner of the institution avoids, the financial institution continues to offer a wide range of services to the population, SMEs and the corporate sector. Among the most important proposals:

• A huge range of deposits.
• Multilateral money transfers.
• The sale of coins and banking metals.
• Serving of current bank accounts, including with virtual metals.
• Presentation of bank guarantees.
• Daily and systematic RCS.
• Provision of cells for storing securities, precious metals.
• Issue, including the organization of purchase and sale.
• Leasing and factoring.
• Depository activities.

The organization continues to adhere to its policy: an individual approach to each client. The main banking operations are conducted through the main office, which is located in Kiev. Numerous self-service kiosks work in such cities as Obukhiv and Rivne, Dnepropetrovsk and Lviv, Donetsk and Zaporozhye. One of the largest branches is the bank "Financial Initiative" (Kharkov). Clients' feedback about the work of the branch is more positive.

How are customers accepted?

Every client of a financial institution with great enthusiasm speaks about a warm welcome. About friendly employees, smiling cashiers and managers say numerous reviews. "Financial Initiative" is an institution where they have done their best to create the first pleasant impression of cooperation. If you have questions, experts explain everything in detail, they choose exactly the format of each client, which suits him as much as possible. As the majority says, there is no doubt about reliability and decency. There is a feeling that money is now in safe hands. However, this is only the first impression, which in most situations is deceptive. There is also the opposite side of the coin, about which negative reviews are told. The "financial initiative" over the past two years began to violate the terms of the partnership, explaining it with some incomprehensible factors. Under impact, the owners of deposits.

What happens to the owners of deposits?

Starting in 2013, negative responses began to appear on the Internet from people who, they said, had the imprudence to entrust their savings to the institution. At the first stages of cooperation, everything went smoothly. Interest was accrued monthly, without any delay. All those wishing to cash out money without any complications. Closer by 2014 interest on deposits began to significantly delay, which caused some excitement among customers. The situation was closed by the eyes, until it came to withdrawing the deposit. Strange as it may seem, there were many excuses as to why the Financial Initiative bank is not able to hand out money. Deposits, reviews about which were the best, did not justify themselves. According to the depositors, the financial institution began to offer a universal program, according to which people wanted to give out half of the deposit at the cash desk, but on the condition that the second part of the deposit will be re-registered in accordance with the new contract for a new term. Not knowing how to get their money, investors began to agree even to such proposals.

What about foreign currency deposits?

The strength, which always differed bank "Financial Initiative", - deposits. Reviews about them for many years had a positive connotation. The first indignation appeared on the Internet and in the media on behalf of owners of foreign currency deposits. They argue that after the expiration of the agreement, the bank refused to issue dollars into its hands. Employees of the institution explained and continue to explain everything with the restrictions of the NBU. In this case, in fact, such a rigid framework does not exist. Currency transfers are open, and each person can withdraw from the bank or from the card an amount not exceeding $ 500 or the equivalent of 15 thousand hryvnia. According to some customers, the bank offered to issue a foreign currency deposit in UAH, but not in the above-mentioned amount, but not more than 1000 hryvnia per week. The absurdity of this situation should not be proved once again. Another story is related to customers who decided to terminate the deposit agreement due to personal circumstances. What was their surprise when, in the branch of the bank "Financial Initiative", reviews of investors that had previously been only positive, reported the loss of all interest in the event of termination of the agreement. At the same time, the document specified an item according to which, at the termination of the partnership, the percentage will be recalculated at a rate of 0.5%. To say more, it was wilted about penalties in the amount of 17% of the deposit amount. This contract was not exactly foreseen. In an attempt to explain the situation, customers were drily redirected to the official site to search for information. Proceedings on this issue are ongoing today.

Money through rally, complaints and media

The fact that the bank "Financial Initiative" of the problem is far from petty, say not only reviews on the Internet, but also widespread appeals in the media and even the antimonopoly committee and the committee for the protection of consumer rights. The reliability of this information is very difficult to verify, but it is all heard. After the refusal of the bank's employees to give the deposit, the customers did not lose heart and began to act actively. In Kharkov, there was even a protest gathered near the office with posters. After raising the hype, the financial institution, at least reluctantly, but gradually began to fulfill its obligations. There is reliable information that people still received their hard-earned money, albeit a few months later, stipulated and in parts. The main thing is that the result was achieved and that in the current situation the right was defended, despite the economic difficulties not only of the financial institution, but of the entire state.

What does Statistics say?

As stated above, the reviews of the clients of the Financial Initiative Bank are not always a reliable source of information. Much more about the actual state of affairs in the organization is able to tell official statistics. It was already mentioned that the financial institution in the rating of the NBU ranks second and there is something to be proud of. The problem is that the information is correct, but only partially. Position went to the bank based on the size of its own capital and based on assets, the size of which is (according to the latest estimates) 17,538,523 hryvnia. As for the obligations, amounting to UAH 14 964 810, they withdrew the bank to the third place of the same rating in 2014. But the most interesting is ahead. For the last quarter of 2014, the financial institution showed a loss-making situation in the amount of UAH 86,394. And here already there is, on what to reflect. This digital value almost automatically threw the institution to 12th place out of 158.

Strange attempts to improve the situation

Issue half of the deposit when re-issuing the second part for another six months is not the only one used by the Financial Initiative (bank, Kyiv). Clients' feedback told a lot more interesting. Some people were offered to take only interest on deposits and not more than 15% of the amount of the deposit. Moreover, depositors constantly signal that their accounts are blocked, and they do not have the opportunity to settle in the store if necessary. The problem of inoperability and inactivity of maps, which was first noticed in early 2014, has now become even more urgent. Officially, the bank's employees state that there are no violations by the institution in the aspect of fulfilling obligations under deposit agreements. Moreover, the deputy board in the person of Andrey Demchenko in an official interview left a direct answer and focused attention on numerous bonus programs, on a possible increase in the withdrawal limit and at an increased interest rate. After conducting an investigative experiment in one of the departments of Kiev, the experts found out that the cards are really inactive, and mono hands receive no more than 15% of the deposit amount and interest. Experienced lawyers see the situation as a violation of human rights and forced prolongation of the deposit.

Doubtful liquidity

Everything written above only leads to the idea that the bank "Financial Initiative" is not able to provide the optimal level of its liquidity. If in the near future the situation does not change, and the conditions for the issuance of deposits will not cease to contradict Ukrainian legislation and the Civil Code, the organization may partially cease its work until clarification of the circumstances. At the moment, if there are people who have deposits in this institution, the term of the contract for which has already been exhausted, they should proceed as follows:

• Send a complaint to the National Bank of Ukraine.
• Submit to the court a statement of claim to collect from the financial institution the full amount of the deposit.

Today the bank continues to work and continues to receive deposits from interested parties. You can say that you should not believe in beautiful advertising and tempting interest. Reviews of employees about the bank, of course, are positive, but they can not really be trusted. To tell the truth, and then to lose work nobody would like. The dynamics of profit perfectly illustrates the situation in the corporation. The first signal to be more attentive appears when the bank offers the most favorable interest on the deposit. It is worth pondering what prompted the management of the institution to partially abandon profits and go beyond the existing standards.