Manama, Bahrain, July 15th, 2012: Bahraini retail and commercial banking institution, BMI Bank, today announced a two-month deferment on installments for its Salaf personal loan customers free of charge. The special offer, which is available on request only, will be available to both existing customers as well for those who apply for a new Salaf personal loan with the option to defer their installments for the month of July and August 2012.

Announcing the deferment Jamal Al-Hazeem, Chief Executive Officer of BMI Bank said:

"As a responsible and customer centric Bahraini Bank, we believe it is our responsibility to play a leading role in assisting our loyal customers who place a lot of faith in us, better manage their finances. With the advent of the summer holidays followed by the Holy month of Ramadan, we hope to ease the strain on our customers and their families. This free deferment of installment amounts on our Salaf personal loan product for the months of July and August demonstrates our commitment towards our customers and stems from our creed - better, together which is at the heart of our operations.

Customers who would like to take advantage of this opportunity should visit any of our branches along with their original CPR/Passport and fill out a simple loan deferment form."

The Bank recently unveiled a promotion titled "Salaf Special" offering customers the opportunity to benefit from free life insurance and zero administration fees in addition to a low interest rate of 6.25%. The Salaf Special personal loan promotion, which runs from till the end of August 2012, is applicable to customers applying for a new loan or looking to transfer their existing loans to BMI Bank. Additionally, customers applying for the Salaf Special will have the option to defer their first installment by up to 60 days.

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About BMI Bank B.S.C. (c)
Bahraini retail and commercial banking institution, BMI Bank is a retail bank, registered in Bahrain and regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB). The Bank offers customers a complete range of innovative and unique financial products and services through its extended network of strategically located branches and ATMs. The Bank's multi-award winning online channels including its corporate website www.bmibank.com.bh were recently honored with three prestigious awards at the 3rd Pan Arab Banking Web Awards - 2012. In addition, the Bank also received a J.P. Morgan Chase - Straight Through Processing (STP) award for 2011 recognizing its superior quality and consistently high performance within the area of international money transmissions and diligent processing of payments. This has helped to consolidate the Bank's position as well as perception within the country as a key local retail Bank.

BMI Bank also operates an international branch in Qatar, an Offshore Bank in the Seychelles (a joint venture with Nouvobanq) and has a 21.33% shareholding in Gulf African Bank - Kenya. In addition, BMI Bank owns and operates the Diners Club cards franchise in Bahrain. BMI Bank's shareholders include some of the strongest and most respected financial institutions across the GCC, including BankMuscat (SAOG) the flagship financial institution in the Sultanate of Oman.  With assets worth over USD 18 billion, BankMuscat (SAOG) is the leading financial services provider in Oman with a strong presence in Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, Investment Banking, Treasury, Private Banking and Asset Management.

BMI Bank currently offers its customers a range of retail products and services including savings and current accounts, USD 1.69 million prize-winning Ayadi savings account, credit cards including Diners Club and La Carte, a co-branded credit card in partnership with Geant Hypermarket Bahrain, fixed deposits and the Salaf range of personal, auto and mortgage loans. The Bank recently signed a strategic and exclusive service agreement with CrediMax, the leading credit card acquirer in the Kingdom of Bahrain, to utilize their Point of Sales (POS) machines as well as payment gateways amongst its approved merchants to accept and authorize the Bank's credit card product - Diners Club cards within Bahrain by the end of the year thereby giving the brand 100% acceptance across the country.

In addition to its secure credit card online repayment channel that enables customers of the Bank to pay their credit card bill online using any benefit enabled debit card, customers can also deposit real-time cash into their various accounts with the Bank using special cash and cheque deposit ATMs located at the self-service area within the Bank's branches without the need to be committed to the Bank's working hours.

In addition to Retail Banking the Bank also offers Private Banking, Wholesale Banking, Islamic Banking and Treasury services.

For further information, please contact:
Gordon Andrade
Head, Corporate Communications
BMI Bank - Bahrain
E-mail: gordon.andrade@bmibank.com
Cell: +973 39782225

© Press Release 2012