Press Releases October 20, 2003

2003 Global Custodian Magazine Global Custodian Bank Survey Results Publish

2003 Global Custodian Magazine Global Custodian Bank Survey Results Published

The results of the annual Global Custodian magazine survey of the clients of the major global custodian banks are officially published today. This survey, published for the thirteenth successive year, has since 2001 incorporated client perceptions. The ranking of thirteen providers is based on an analysis of over 550 responses, or more than twice as many as were received in 2002.Banks are rated by their clients in 34 separate service areas, divided into nine service categories, and the scores are then weighted, averaged and compared to decide which are the leading providers in each market. However, although the scores awarded by clients are important, the survey has always sought to illuminate the large differences between the business models and client bases of the various providers.It is misleading to compare providers on the basis of scores alone, without taking into account the needs of a particular client, or the strengths of a particular provider. This is why the survey once again includes a systematic analysis of the different business models and strategies being pursued by the various global custodians, using a methodology devised by Thomas Murray, the custody banking consultants.The thirteen global custodian banks which received a sufficient number of responses for a rating, and the overall average score they achieved across twenty-six separate service areas, were:



BankAverage Score in 2002Average Score in 2003
 
Bank of New York5.715.69
Brown Brothers Harriman5.615.79
BNP Paribas Securities Services5.175.88
Citigroup Global Securities Services5.585.52
HSBC Global Investor Services4.565.62
Investors Bank & Trust5.786.13
JP Morgan Investor Services5.045.24
Mellon Group*5.285.78
Northern Trust5.325.59
RBC Global Services5.735.44
Societe Generale5.976.06
State Street5.175.38
UBS AG5.805.59
Overall Survey Average5.465.67
* Includes ABN Amro Mellon and CIBC Mellon as well as Mellon Trust.



In addition to the rated providers, another six banks for which insufficient responses were received are assessed. The full results of the survey can be found at Survey Archive.