Bank affection and customer retention: an empirical investigation of customer trust, satisfaction, loyalty

In a context of increasing competition among financial service institutions, customer affection, and retention are a key factor for survival and success. The main goal of the study is to understand how affection effects customer retention in the presence of trust, satisfaction, and loyalty. Structural equation modelling (SEM) with mediation analysis is used on a sample of 940 to evaluate the model. The finding of this study showed that trust alone is not sufficient in mediating the relationship between affection and retention. However, trust, in combination with satisfaction and loyalty, acts as an intermediary between affection and retention. These results can help commercial banks to understand the causes for customer retention in a rapidly changing and competitive environment.