YEREVAN, November 20. /ARKA/. ARKA News Agency has released its regular quarterly press rating of Armenian banks.Five banks – Ameriabank, VTB Bank (Armenia), Ardshininvestbank, Armbusinessbank and HSBC Bank Armenia - were leaders in the third quarter of this year.

Analysis of press reports showed that banks’ press-activity slightly declined as information saturation in reports grew.

The number of press reports reduced 0.4% in July-Sept 2009, compared with the same period a year earlier.

The share of negative press reports reduced from 5.2% in the 3rd Q 2008 to 2.2% this year.

The share of reports covering banks’ development policies grew from 20% to 22.5%.
Personnel’s economic outlooks rose from 3% to10.1% and the share of figures showing banks’ activities grew from 10.2% to 14.8%, while general information reduced from 57.1% to 47.8% and the information related to clients and services shrank from 9.6% to 4.9%.

Ameriabank showed the highest press-rating indicators in the 3rd Q 2009 – general information 112.64, development policy 269.13, clients and services 66.56, banking activity figures 192.25 and personnel’s economic outlooks 30.72.

Four banks were singled out for having information on all the mentioned articles in the 3rd Q 2009 against three in the same quarter a year before.

ARKA News Agency’s ranking is based not on financial or economic indicators, but on those banking activity facts covered by the press.

Hence, the higher actual saturation of activity-related information, the more effective a bank’s communicative policy.

Advertising is not a subject of press-rating analysis.

More detailed information is available in “Press Rating of Banks” Bulletin #04(43), the 3rd Q 2009. -0---