среда, 20 января 2016 г.

Chatting with the bank Дмитрий Исаакович Леус


Chatting with the bank
- Which growth perspectives do you see for the future?
- Dmitry Leus: Going forward we intend to actively develop a number of new financial products. One of them is a lending product for small and medium-sized businesses which is in the launch stage now. For historical reasons, we have a well-balanced mortgage loan portfolio we would like to grow further should we be able to attract funding at comfortable rates. In addition to cash loans, we would also like to grow credit card loan solutions and plan market-entry strategies by October this year. Currently, we are developing our own payment processor for credit cards and plan to integrate it into the existing IT infrastructure.
-Dmitry Leus: Correct. The Bank invests considerably into marketing - approximately RUB 8.5m per month. Hence, every credit application the bank approves “amortizes” RUB 1000 in marketing costs. As we lend massively in the Russian regions we used to advertise on Russia-1, a TV channel with many regional variations, but we didn’t include Moscow and St. Petersburg. When promoting credit cards we will also use TV as a medium, but we shall mainly have recourse to the internet and social networks when promoting credit card lending.
- Will there be changes on the Bank’s internet site?
- Dmitry Leus: Of course. For the moment, we only sell loans via our internet site. The next step will be to accept deposits on-line too. We also intend to link the Bank’s internet site to social networks and provide on-line chat rooms with client managers. By the end of this year, our customers will be able to communicate with their banker via Skype...
Oleg Potapov




воскресенье, 17 января 2016 г.

“Bank is a socially responsible bank. We care about the financial literacy of the next generation.” Dmitry Isaakovich Leus


Dmitry Isaakovich Leus

A project called “Lectures on Financial Literacy”, organized by the local branch of Bank  started in Lipetsk today. During the entire academic year, the Bank’s experts will be giving lectures on finance to the graduate students of nearby schools.
The first lectures, given on 20 September 2013 at two secondary schools, have been met with great interest from both students and teachers. DmitryIsaakovich Leus
The Bank’s employees explained in comprehensive form the basics of personal finance, deposits, and lending. Students were given an opportunity to ask questions with regard to financial discipline and household budgeting. The next lectures will be dedicated to topics such as interest rates, inflation, investments, foreign exchange, and criteria when choosing the right bank.
Overall, Bank ’s objective is to improve financial literacy among the younger generation, in addition to supporting education in general.
“Bank  is a socially responsible bank. It is important that the younger generation understand how money works in the world and what is the role played by banks in the economy as a whole. Although not an easy task, improving financial literacy is essential to our country’s economic health”, said the Chairman of Bank , Dmitry Leus.


четверг, 14 января 2016 г.

Dmitry Isaakovich Leus - How to Motivate Employees

Any bank with long-term ambitions uses a system of employee motivation.  We spoke with Dmitry Leus, Chairman of Bank , and asked him to which motivational techniques he has recourse.


- Dmitry Isaakovich, what do you understand under the concept of “motivation” and what is its application?

- Dmitry Leus: Motivation designates the incentive to act or, more precisely, the activation of motives pre-existing in every human being. Its importance in the world of business, and in particular in the service industry, is to attract and keep the most valuable assets we have - human capital.

Since spring 2011, our Bank has been carrying out an active regional expansion strategy. Within two years, we have created from scratch 40 branches in different regions of the Russian Federation. Accordingly, it was necessary to also create a system of motivation transforming a mere geographical presence into a centre of human excellency. Thus, psychological factors prove to be as important as economic ones in achieving a high return on investment. In general, good motivation systems are a win-win game: they must reflect the interests of all stakeholders of an enterprise - employees, management, and its shareholders.

- Financial incentive is doubtlessly a very effective means of motivation. Does Bank  also offer career growth?

- Dmitry Leus: Yes, we also offer the opportunity of career and professional development, which is a very important consideration for increasing an employee’s self-esteem and his reputation within the bank.

Our corporate Intranet provides an appropriate platform for professional development and the creation of a sense of unity and purpose. For example, a “wall of honour” showcases the achievements of our best talents. In addition, we display sales figures for each branch on-line. This allows regional branches to compare their results with other regional branches and creates a spirit of healthy competition, thereby stimulating outliers to turn into performers and performers into leaders. The Intranet also helps management communicate with staff and spread strategic newsletters; alternatively, it may serve as a forum on which expert communities exchange ideas and innovations.

As part of our motivational programme, we also hold internal competitions for management vacancies within Group. Regardless of his geographical location, every employee from the Altai Republic to Kaliningrad is eligible and has the opportunity to become the head of a newly opened regional branch. This way we seek to foster a long-term relationship between the Bank and its employees and to strengthen loyalty among our people.

- Dmitry Isaakovich, employee training is the cornerstone in any system of professional development. For example, on-the-job training allows a company to bring new employees up to speed quickly and expert seminars may enhance the skills of senior staff.  Today, many banks have their own in-house learning platform. Does Bank  have anything similar to offer?

- Dmitry Leus: Of course.  We recently launched a project called the “Learning Tool” - a most useful platform whereby the employees of our newly opened regional branches can actively develop their skills. Also, in addition to in-house seminars, we regularly organize external work groups and corporate retreats during which new business processes, product lines, or the Bank’s overall strategy are on the agenda.

- In other words, motivational techniques are a key instrument in the successful development of the Bank?

- Dmitry Leus: Yes, absolutely. Like any bank in full expansion, our heartbeat is always in tune with the challenges of modern life and their financial repercussions on the capital markets. Our system of motivation has been instrumental in scaling up our regional presence and has shown that numbers alone do not add up unless motivated by human effort.



- What are the components of your motivational system?

- Dmitry Leus: All the employees of our regional front offices have a basic salary, in addition to a performance bonus at the end of each month. The programme further aims at keeping the growth rate of the basic salary under control over time, in favour of the performance bonus.
Such a system of extrinsic (that is, monetary) rewards is based on the principle that financial bonuses indeed encourage an employee to achieve the best results. Although the theory of extrinsic rewards cannot be generalized to all situations, there is a general consensus that in the world of banking, which derives its meaning from the universe of numbers, psychological motivation may be created through, and measured in, monetary terms.
However, rewards must not be attributed based on management’s own discretion and opinion, but according to measurable and verifiable indicators, lest subjective preference give rise to inequality and damage the team’s sense of unity and common interest. In the context of its remuneration policy, the Bank therefore monitors staff performance in three specific business fields.
The first one is business and sales performance. We set quantitative targets for our front office staff measuring the acquisition of net new money and the successful sale of lending products to prime borrowers. In the second field, we set up indicators for quality of service. In fact, customer service must keep track with the Bank’s geographical expansion and the growth of its customer base. Put differently, quantity and quality must grow in tandem. In the third field, we measure the effectiveness and quality of overall processes, which is the key prerogative of our Moscow head office.
Alongside performance rewards, the Bank has recently also come to rely on bonuses for successfully completed project management. As we are currently actively growing in size, some of our products, processes, and structures need to be adjusted to reflect this. Hence, our need for project management 

вторник, 22 декабря 2015 г.

Mortgages: Both Sides of the Medal 2 © Dmitry Isaakovich Leus

Decades, not years
When taking the decision to apply for a mortgage, the first thing to assess is one’s own financial strength. A maximum of prudence should be used, as mortgages are serviced over decades.
However, according to the Head of Mortgage and Consumer Lending at SMP Bank, Natalia Konyakhina, the loan’s term can be determined by the borrower himself. “Basically, people take out a mortgage for 10 to 15 years and repay within 5 to 7 years”, she says. “The longer the term, the greater the interest premium paid to the bank, warns Dmitry Leus from . “If income allows it, I advise early mortgage repayment”.
When making a decision about buying a property with a mortgage, it is important not to be frightened. In fact, for most people mortgages are the only way to turn into home owners, without having to save up for years (and see these savings finally eroded by inflation). According to DmitryLeus, mortgages are a time-tested, relatively comfortable, streamlined, and affordable tool to solve the housing question.
On the other hand, it would be misguided to take mortgages lightly. Repayment is mandatory and must be made on a regular basis, unless your home be repossessed. Accordingly, it is necessary to calculate what portion of family income can comfortably be spent on repayment - without living on bread and water.
What it takes
While deciding on a mortgage, it is not only the borrower who assesses his financial capacities. So does the bank...
“The borrower must have a stable job”, argues Natalia Konyakhina. It is a good sign if the borrower already owns an apartment, a secondary residence, a car, or any other assets of value. Equally important is a positive credit history”.
“An official proof of income is an icebreaker for most banks”, says Dmitry Leus. “However, even the existence of historical income figures as, for example, evidenced in an applicant’s official tax declaration, cannot guarantee that such income will always be available over the mortgage’s life”. Therefore banks are more and more often using internal questionnaires to document the income history of their potential clients. As a consequence, interest rates may be slightly higher.

The average borrower’s age is between 27 and 45, but the range may be wider. “Our applicants tend to be between 21 and 60 years old”, says Dmitry Leus.
Better not bet
Another important aspect worth consideration is the loan currency. “It is better to take out a mortgage in the currency of the borrower’s income, in order to avoid increased mortgage costs due to exchange rate fluctuations”, says Natalya Konyakhina.
“For borrowers with income in Russian roubles, the mortgage should, of course, only be taken in roubles”, agrees Sergey Arzyantsev. “It is nonsense to take a mortgage loan denominated in dollars/euros, thereby entering into a bet on whether the dollar/euro currency pair will weaken against the rouble”. “If the borrower's main income is in roubles, the mortgage should definitely be in roubles too”, confirms Dmitry Leus from . “This will at least help avoid taking an unnecessary currency risk”. According to Dmitry Leus, it is important not to be naive about floating rate mortgage proposals, which are normally linked to such instruments as the MosPrime (Moscow Prime Offered Rate), or the Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate), or to the Central Bank’s own refinancing rate“. I am very cautious with regard to this option”, says Dmitry Leus. “Interest rates can only go up right now and, in general, when it comes to mortgages, exchange rate uncertainty is an undesirable additional burden for the borrower”.

On the other hand, by making a simple calculation, one can see that floating rate offers can look quite attractive. For example, one bank offers 9.75% for the first five years, and 4.5% above MosPrime (today at 6.64%) during the remaining years.

четверг, 17 декабря 2015 г.

Mortgages: Both Sides of the Medal © Dmitry Isaakovich Leus

Dmitry Leus: “If income allows it, I advise early mortgage repayment”

Buying a property is certainly not a situation when one should “jump in feet first”, in particular when it comes to taking out a mortgage. Which are the main points potential mortgage buyers should keep in mind?
Suppose you decided to improve your housing situation: buy your own flat, move from a two-bedroom flat into a three-bedroom apartment, or move closer to the centre. The decision is taken..., but you cannot afford it. That is the exact moment when the concept of the mortgage comes to mind.
Some view mortgages as a form of modern enslavement but, honestly, saving millions is a difficult task for common mortals. Of course, mortgages have their advantages and disadvantages. There are a lot of small but important details borrowers should know in order to avoid trouble. One thing is clear - on your road to the paradise of home owners, do not stop at the first bank, and do not blindly agree to all conditions.
Take it or leave it
In summer 2011, the mortgage market was very attractive for borrowers - thousands of offers, promotions, discounts, as lenders competed to win over customers.
Then came fears over the possibility of a “second wave” of the crisis. And things on the mortgage market began to change...
Currently, banks have started to raise interest rates on loans, including mortgages. For the moment the increase is still small, not over 1 percent, but that may change...
“In the current macroeconomic environment, new home owners wishing to apply for a mortgage should act quickly”, recommends the Chairman of Dmitry Leus, justifying his position by expert opinion stating that interest rates are not expected to fall in the short to mid-term. Quite the opposite: “in fact, in crisis situations, banks not only tend to increase interest rates, but also to adopt more restrictive mortgage approval processes”, explains the banking specialist. “In other words, client applications run a greater risk of being rejected, as assumptions are tested against a more pessimistic scenario, and documentary evidence requirements with regard to client data such as income history undergo higher scrutiny”, says DmitryLeus.
“Many banks have begun to tighten credit conditions. This is the result of increased costs of credit resources. Better to jump on the bandwagon of low rates right now”, equally confirms Sergei Arzyantsev, Head of Mortgage Lending at Nomos Bank.