JN Financial Services expands in western Jamaica

Thursday, January 19, 2012

MONTEGO BAY, St James — JAMAICA National Building Society (JNBS) has contributed to the expansion of specialised financial services in western Jamaica with the recent opening of its 9,000 square feet office complex at Catherine Hall, St James.

According to Leon Mitchell, the assistant general manager, group marketing and sales, the state-of-the-art facility has been designed to reflect the "green thrust" of the Society, similar to the energy-saving systems used at the University of West Indies, Mona Branch; and the JN Express Self-Service Centre, located at Michi Plaza on Washington Boulevard in Kingston.

"We are proud of our new facility at Catherine Hall. It provides a boost to customer service in the area, and is a major expansion beyond our existing St James location on Market Street in the Second City."

The offices at Catherine Hall, which had a soft opening recently, has a mix of financial services that includes a Mortgage Centre; a state-of-the-art Express Service Centre with ATM and Drop Boxes, as well as JNBS transaction processing, Teller stations and customer service.

Mitchell said some 20 direct jobs were created, including positions as financial advisors, customer service representatives, tellers and the managerial staff.

Two JN subsidiaries companies — JN Fund Managers Limited (JNFM) and NEM Insurance Company (Ja) Limited — have located their operations at Catherine Hall.

"This move will allow for more effective cross-selling of services in the JN Group," Mitchell said.

"The idea is to create distinct experiences between our existing Market Street location and the new Catherine Hall location; with the former being more transaction-based and the latter offering a more consultative environment."

Manager at the JN Financial Services complex Nina Chang said the facility is "a welcomed entity for St James; and has moved Jamaica National to a new level in the provision of financial services in Western Jamaica".

With some 17 years experience in commercial banking, Chang said since the facility opened early last month, there has been a steady increase in business.

"We are off to a good start," she noted, pointing out that, the centre is strategically located in a thriving resort area where there is increased demand for such financial services. In addition, Catherine Hall has been transformed into a rapidly growing commercial and residential area, which bodes well for the development of the economy in St James.