August 21, 2009

TORONTO – For the fifth year in a row, an independent survey of thousands of Canadians has shown

that credit unions rank first in overall quality of customer service among all financial institutions.

“We are pleased to see that Canadians continue to rate their experience at credit unions very highly,”

said David Phillips, president and CEO of Credit Union Central of Canada (Canadian Central).

“Credit unions have more than five million members across the country and do an excellent job of

providing the service people want,” Phillips said. “This is our core mission, meeting the needs of our

members.”

Global market research firm Synovate announced its 2009 Best Banking Awards, which are derived

from its Customer Service Index. It found credit unions ranked ahead of all banks and other financial

institutions in the following categories:

Credit unions also tied for first in the following categories:

Adrian Murphy, Vice President of Syndicated Research for Synovate in Canada, commented:

“The key to loyal customers is a good customer experience. The Synovate Best Banking Award

acts like a report card for our local financial institutions, highlighting their strengths and

weaknesses as well as how the industry players are performing overall.”

The Synovate Customer Service Index survey had almost 39,000 responses among a regionally and

demographically representative sample of Canadians. The survey has been conducted annually since

1987. The 2009 Best Banking Awards are based on the combined results of ongoing quarterly

Customer Service Index surveys ended August 2009.

affiliated with Canadian Central have assets of $114 billion and more than five million members. Credit

unions are provincially regulated financial institutions owned by their member/customers that provide a

full range of financial services.

Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates consumer insights that drive

competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a

comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs more than 6,700 staff in 62 countries.