The evolving status of trust in the relationship between vulnerable customers and banks A longitudinal study

This research analyzes trust building and evolution within the vulnerable customer–bank relationship. It introduces the time dimension to study the development processes of trust during services encounters. A qualitative and longitudinal study was undertaken based on retrospective cases conducted with dyads of vulnerable clients/advisors within a French bank. We highlight the general development process of interpersonal and institutional trust and the existence of two modes of trust building – linear and by stages – depending on the occurrence of banking incidents, their nature, and their resolution by the bank. We also observe a shift from institutional to interpersonal trust within the customer–bank relationship. We question banks’ relational strategies and their willingness to restore confidence among this vulnerable population, which represents a small but quite profitable segment.