by Joe Del Casino

Created on: August 31, 2009   Last Updated: September 02, 2009

As the euphoria of averting the collapse of the world's banking system wears off, it is clear that banking's halcyon days have ended and its road to full recovery will likely be long and difficult.

The good news is that the Fed is managing to keep the yield curve steep. As a result, banks today are able to borrow money effectively for free (have you checked your bank's interest rates lately?), lend at much higher rates and thereby generate significant profit margins. And, with tons of cash parked in banks and reluctant to move back into the stock market, total bank profits are likely to continue to be substantial. Those profits will be needed to ultimately offset the unprecedented asset losses and write downs continuing to occur on bank balance sheets.

The bad news is that all the pending bank failures, mergers/acquisitions, and cost reductions are negatively affecting the quality of the customer experience. Bank staffs are increasingly short-handed, untrained and inexperienced, and with banks revising their operating procedures according to those of new corporate acquirers and new federal banking regulations, it is no wonder customer service is suffering.

Even the banking giants likely to survive and thrive in the future are as deficient in their customer service as many of the smaller community banks that will likely disappear from the treacherous banking landscape during the next few years. Consequently, in order to insure a satisfactory level of customer service, customers will need to take a more active role in managing their banking. The following tips should assist you in that mission:

KNOW THE FDIC INSURANCE RULES AND REGULATIONS. Make sure you set up your accounts in compliance with those rules and that your accounts are fully FDIC insured. Bank personnel don't always communicate accurately or completely when answering questions about those issues. However, many banks will offer you a free FDIC brochure that tells you everything you need to know on the topic, or you may download it yourself directly from the FDIC via the internet.

BANKS BELIEVE THAT PAPER IS SO TWENTIETH CENTURY. Many banks will do almost anything to avoid giving you a paper receipt that specifies the important details of your account, such as the interest rate, expiration date, balance, etc. Many look at you dumbfounded when you remind them that CD is the acronym for Certificate of Deposit. They sincerely believe that in this age of online account management hard copies that verify

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