CHESTER, ENGLAND, February 11, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Bank of America Europe Card Services (ECS), based in Chester , scooped two major industry honours at the 2010 Credit Card Awards held in London on Tuesday (2nd February).
The organisation's Team Bank of America volunteer effort was hailed as the industry's best corporate social responsibility programme.
Its affinity partnership with Virgin Money also fought off strong competition to be crowned the UK and Ireland's Best Affinity or Co-branded Credit Card Programme".
The honours, which recognise customer service, excellence and innovation in the UK and Irish card payments industry, were awarded by a judging panel of key industry leaders at a ceremony at The Grosvenor House in London.
Bank of America ECS's affinity relationship with Virgin Money, now celebrated as the industry's most successful, is delivering "an enduring product where the two organisations continue to work to reinvent themselves", according to the judging panel.
Team Bank of America, the company's primary volunteer organisation for staff to work together to improve the lives of teammates, customers and the community, was also hailed as a pioneering example in the UK and Ireland. Judges paid tribute to Bank of America's "concerted efforts in implementing many CSR projects throughout the organisation in both the UK and Ireland."
Ian O'Doherty, President of Bank of America Europe Card Services, said: "To receive these two awards in the face of such strong competition is a wonderful achievement. They are honours that truly reflect the successes we are having as a business.
"Our affinity partnership with Virgin Money is something of which we are very proud. We are constantly looking to strengthen our products and build on our shared values as businesses with customer delight at our core.
"I'm also very proud that Team Bank of America has been recognised. In 2009 alone our UK and Ireland staff gave nearly 17,000 hours of their time volunteering for a range of tremendous causes.
"Our staff set us apart from all others. They are the driving force behind our business and it is fantastic to see that their efforts have received external endorsement like this. As a team we know what they do, so do the communities they support and the beneficiaries of their efforts, but this is the icing on the cake."
Bank of America Europe Card Services is no stranger to success in the Credit Card Awards.
Over the past two years its groundbreaking affinity relationships with charities have been honoured; particularly those with WWF and the National Trust, as well as its approach to customer marketing, online campaigns, card benefits and technological improvements.
A record of 24 Bank of America entries were short-listed in the awards this year.
For more details on the awards visit http://www.thecardawards.com
About Bank of America Europe Card Services:
Bank of America Europe Card Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC). It is the recognised leader in affinity marketing. Its credit cards and related products and services are endorsed by more than 5,000 organisations worldwide.
For more information visit http://www.mbna.co.uk or http://www.bankofamerica.com.
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