MOSCOW, August 28, 2007 Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) in cooperation with National Agency for Financial Studies (NAFS) presents information concerning the services of what banks Russians prefer  to use.

Russian state banks remain most popular among the potential users of bank services. However, their position has recently weakened: if 72% of Russians preferred them in November 2006, in July 2007no more than 64% did. One tenth of respondents (9%) would choose to use the services of Russian commercial banks, and only 3% the services of a foreign bank.

The share of those, who trust the Savings bank and other state banks, reaches its maximum among the respondents at the age of 35 to 59 years (70%), it is minimal among the young people and pensioners (59-60%). Young people are more inclined to trust Russian commercial banks (14-17%), than the respondents at the age of 35 to 59 years (5-7%) or respondents older than that (2%).

The popularity of Russian commercial banks rises simultaneously with the respondents' level of education starting from 4% in the group of respondents with elementary education to 8% among respondents with secondary and post secondary education and 13% in the group with higher and uncompleted higher education.

The degree of confidence to Russian commercial banks also grows in proportion with an increase in the incomes of Russians: from 3 to 6% among the respondents with the income of up to 5000 rubles per family member per month to 15% among respondents with higher financial standing. State banks enjoy the greatest confidence among the respondents with the level of income from 3001 to 5000 rubles per family member per month (it amounts 72%, whereas it reaches 67% in the group with higher level of income, and 63-65% in the group with smaller incomes).

Higher share of respondents (68-70%) in the medium-size and small cities give preference to State banks, than residents of other types of settlements do (60-63%). Residents of Moscow and Saint Petersburg have more confidence in Russian commercial banks (17%, in other cities and villages only 6-10%). 8% of residents of the two capitals and only 1-4% of respondents from other populated areas would use the services of a foreign bank, working in Russia or abroad.

The All-Russia opinion poll was conducted by VCIOM on July 21-22, 2007. 1600 respondents were interviewed in 153 population areas of 46 regions of Russia. The statistical error does not exceed 3.4%.