GUISA, Granma.— There are magnificent examples that shatter the myth that banking is restricted to a woman or man in uniform, separated from the public by a glass counter and computer screen.

The BPA branch bank in Guisa is considered one of the country’s best in terms of service provided and financial results.

Some demonstrate that although money is always present in the bank-client relationship, in order to provide good service, this must be accompanied by a willingness to attend the public with diligence and the utmost courtesy, with each worker striving to make the institution more efficient, in order to overcome the image of the bureaucratic robot who simply fills out forms, demands signatures, pays out and collects.

Working in the banking sector, it is hard not to appear like a robot. A complicated world of numbers and accounts requires methods and formulas; but when there is an awareness that the person being served is an equal, and sufficient knowledge allows for negotiations aimed at mutual benefit, then intelligence and humanity become the forces driving economic management.

A modest bank branch, located in this small town in eastern Cuba, is proof that efficiency depends more on the workers, than on mechanisms and rules.

Office 7862 of the Banco Popular de Ahorro (People´s Savings Bank – BPA) in Guisa is now considered the best in the province, and offers among the most comprehensive ranges of service in the country. Although new banking policies provide for consolidation of its social role, results have already been seen that bring the bank closer to the population.

A good example of this is the bank’s credit status, as only a hundred of the over 9,000 loans to local clients remain unpaid, affecting the recovery of less than 1% of the cash lent, while the average in the country is 3%.

"The majority of the outstanding repayments are related to debts for home appliances distributed as part of the Energy Revolution, a problem in almost all areas of the island. However the fact that none of the new credit lines authorized as part of the new banking policy – such as funding for construction materials or projects undertaken by the self-employed - are in this situation, shows we are moving forward," Raul Durañones, director of the bank, noted.

Of singular importance here has been the rapid deployment of banking consultants for the self-employed, with 15 people dedicated to providing services at homes, such as pension payments to retirees (delivered free of charge to more than 1,000 clients); collecting license payments from self-employed workers following previous agreement; personalized loan repayment monitoring for borrowers; the most notable effect of which has been decentralization of services in the branch, and the near eradication of crowds and long queues in the sun.

"On pay days, the queues of people, sometimes the very elderly, could last for up to three days, but now there are times when the bank is almost empty," Durañones added.

"It's a way to stay active. Also, I always enjoyed the direct contact with people, especially when they thank you for a service that saves them time and hassle", Rafaela Ramos explained, a retired bank worker who decided to become a consultant and is one of the best in reducing unpaid loans.

Soa Núñez, meanwhile, did not wait for retirement, and instead works both during the normal working hours as a clerk in the branch, and does overtime as a consultant. "I have managed to organize myself so that one evening I pay over 80 pensioners in their homes, but that number has grown."

The municipality of Guisa contains both flatlands and hills, but even in the most rugged areas of the Sierra Maestra, the branch’s services are provided by traveling consultants.

Raul Durañones emphasizes the comprehensive results of the branch in the stability and professionalism of its group of 27 workers, inserted into a training program through which "everyone knows everything, they rotate periodically in each of the positions, and thus we avoid negative impacts on service due to absences and we can perfect our systems of control."

This strict internal control is key to explaining why this branch is the only one to have enjoyed immaculate results over four consecutive years in the vigorous audits conducted.

The quality of service, transparency in accounting, credit management, increased savings - and even its aesthetic image - all attest to the success of the branch, which is also excelling in advising non-agricultural cooperatives in training.