Bank Selection Influencing Factors: A Study on Customer Preferences with Reference to Rajshahi City

This study analyses the factors considered important by customer in selection a private commercial bank and nationalized com-mercial bank in Bangladesh. It is based on a survey of 600 customers of private commercial banks (PCBs) and nationalized com-mercial banks (NCBs) located in the city of Rajshahi in Bangladesh. This study relied on 30 selection factors extracted from rele-vant literature, personal experience, and interviews with the some bank officials and customers. The findings reveal that the most important factors influencing customers for selecting a private commercial bank are effective and efficient customer services, speed and quality services; image of the bank, online banking, and well management. On the other hand, the most important factors for choosing a nationalized commercial bank are low interest rate on loan, convenient branch location, safe investment (accountabili-ty of the govt.), variety of services offered and low eservice charges. Findings also suggest that there are some of significant statis-tical differences between responses of PCB and NCB customers related to factors considered important in selection a bank