KINGSTON, Jamaica – With concerns raised around the availability of cash, banking services and security during the holidays, National Commercial Bank (NCB) says it is taking steps to ensure that customer experience is maintained.

These, NCB said, include remote service centres opening on Saturdays throughout the holidays, additional investments in its Automated Banking Machine (ABM) and Point of Sale (POS) networks, increased security through partnerships with local police, and extended branch hours leading up to this weekend.

“As we approach Christmas, the next few days will see the highest demand for cash and payment services of the year,” said Bruce Bowen, chief executive officer of NCB. “We understand that Jamaicans are relying on the banking system to deliver reliable service at this time, and we want them to be able to count on us.”

Bowen continued, “Together, with all members of the Jamaica Bankers’ Association (JBA), we’re taking decisive action to ensure that our customers are able to conduct their transactions and manage their finances safely, conveniently and seamlessly. We want to empower our customers to do all that they need to do during this busy season, without having to stress about their banking services.”

Among NCB’s measures this Christmas are the opening of two remote service centres – at MegaMart’s Waterloo and Portmore locations. The service centres, which opened at the end of November, will be open to the public on Saturday, December 23 and 30, from 9 am to 1 pm (Waterloo) and 9:30 am – 1:30 pm (Portmore).

According to the bank, these remote service centres offer customers support with withdrawals and deposits, RSA Token issues, transaction queries, loans and other select non-cash customer services.

All NCB branches will also be open up to 3:30 pm, on Wednesday and Thursday, December 20-21, and on Friday, December 22 up to 4:00 pm.

“The holiday season is not just a time of celebration, but also one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. So, both consumers and merchants are relying on us to ensure that they’re able to do their transactions and access the cash they need from our ABMs. Our enhanced measures are designed to support the surge in activity that is expected so that everyone – shopper and seller alike – can make the most of this special time of year,” Bowen pointed out.

NCB currently maintains the largest ABM network across the island, with close to 300 ABMs and iABMs in operation – all of which are polymer note-compatible. Likewise, NCB’s extensive POS network caters to businesses right across Jamaica, accepting all major debit and credit cards, as well as American Express.