The Case Study - Seylan Bank

36The Case Study > Seylan Bank PLC Annual Report 2009Also contributing to The Full Story was the Chairman of Bank of Ceylon,Dr. Gamini Wickramasinghe, who spoke frankly about Seylan Bank’s problemswhile affirming his Institution’s unwavering support:“We are the largest bank in the country. We are probably also the moststable due to our large asset base, reserves and risk management capabilities.Moreover, we carry the weight of the Government behind us, and this givespeople immense confidence... Seylan Bank needed large infusions of local aswell as foreign currency. The Central Bank has asked Bank of Ceylon to stepin to fill the void of funding and to help Seylan Bank manage its affairs in thisperiod of restoring confidence and consolidating its finances. I must, however,stress that we have no intention of being privy to privileged information, andour intention is purely to help a good and long-standing bank come throughthis difficult period.”As a testament to the fact that corporate clients had remained solidlybehind Seylan Bank, The Full Story included endorsements from seniorexecutives of several leading Sri Lankan corporations. They expressed theirconfidence in the new board’s leadership and their continuing loyalty to theBank, based on the successes of the past.Lastly, the publication presented a selection of testimonials from Bank’semployees, who recounted how they’d helped cope with the crisis at the retaillevel and shared their first-hand contributions to the Bank’s success in gettingback on track. As the centrepiece of a hurriedly launched media campaign,The Full Story was an effective vehicle for getting important messages acrossand garnering public attention. However, as the outflow of deposits continued- totalling Rs. 18 billion for January and February - there was no question thatmore work was needed to win back the hearts and minds of retail customers.