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Business View Australia - February 2015 15
ers more quickly, and in turn drastically reducing
both the number of branch support calls to custom-
er contact centers and the average length of calls;
and
• Rolling out of another two NAB “Smart Stores”-
interactive and intelligent branch formats in which
customers can either use the self-service channels
on site, or be supported with help, guidance and ad-
vice from a NAB staff member.
On the digital front, the group continues to drive
resilience and capacity upgrades across its digital
channels to support the rapid uptake of digital ser-
vices by NAB customers. Mobile Internet banking
logins have increased by more than one third since
2013.
Manage International Portfolio
In common with the wider UK retail banking sector,
Clydesdale Bank continues to deal with historical
redress issues in relation to payment protection in-
surance and interest rate hedging products, which
negatively affected the results of the group during
the year. Excluding these impacts, the returns in UK
Banking improved in line with the economic growth
in that region. The NAB UK CRE portfolio is being
wound down in an orderly manner, with a $3.2 bil-
lion reduction in 2014 that was a function of run-off
and the sale of part of the portfolio.
Similarly, the run-down of the Specialized Group As-
sets (SGA) portfolio continued in 2014, with total as-
sets contracting from $17.4 billion as at September
2009 to $3.3 billion as at September 2014.
On Oct. 15, 2014, the group sold a minority stake
(31.8 percent) in US-based Great Western Bancorp
Inc. through an initial public offering of shares in the
U.S. The group plans to sell 100 percent of Great
Western Bancorp Inc. over time, subject to market
conditions.