ARKA News Agency Releases Press Rating of Armenian Banks for 2nd Q 2008

YEREVAN, August 19. /ARKA/. ARKA News Agency has released a press rating of Armenian banks for the 2nd Q 2008.

Four leaders – HSBC Bank Armenia, Armeconombank, Araratbank, VTB Bank Armenia - were named in the news agency’s ranking against five in Apr/June 2007.

The analysis of the press shows that despite banks’ press releases were few in the second quarter (4.8% fewer, compared with the same quarter of 2007), they saturated with interesting information.

The share of negative information reduced from 3.4% in the second quarter of 2007 to 2.5% in the same quarter this year.

Some topics dominated the press releases and their share in the information received in the 2nd Q 2008 grew as compared with the same quarter a year earlier. Information about bank development policy grew from 22.2% in the 2nd Q 2007 to 30.7% and that about personnel’s economic forecasts and opinions grew from 2.5% to 8%.

Unlike these topics, broad information reduced from 47% to 40%, banks’ figures from 21% to 17.3% and clients and services 7.3% to 4%.

According to ARKA News Agency’s press rating for Apr/June 2008, HSBC Bank Armenia showed indices 58.94 and 238.33 on general information and development policy.

VTB Bank (Armenia) provided the more information on clients and services than other banks. Its index was 15.36.

Araratbank paid greater attention to figures than other banks (index 92.28).

Armeconombank outdid other banks in highlighting economic forecasts and opinions (17.92).

Three banks issued information on all the mentioned topics, the same as in the second Q 2007.

The press rating is based not on financial and economic indicators, but on the facts of banking activity covered in the press.

The more comprehensive the information provided by banks, the more effective their communicative policy.

In its analysis, the news agency doesn’t use the information from banks’ advertisements.

More detailed information is available in Press Rating of Banks bulletin #03 (38) for the 2nd Q 2008. –0--