Consumers who feel valued by their bank feel less stressed about money.

• Position: MARKETING NEWS

A NEW SURVEY DONE BY TD BANK, PORTLAND, MAINE, found that consumers who feel valued by their bank are more likely to be happy with their overall financial state.

In the study, 60 percent of the consumers who expressed happiness with their bank said that they have low or no financial stress--and more than half are optimistic about their financial future.

The survey includes more than 1,500 consumers in the bank's footprint from Maine to Florida. It was designed to better understand consumers' banking experiences, their financial stress as well as their Financial outlook.

Fast and simple customer service is noted as the prime factor in being happy with a bank. Key considerations such as friendly service (82 percent), knowledgeable advice (62 percent) and being a reliable financial resource (60 percent) are cited as elements leading customers to feel valued by their bank.

Other key findings from the survey include:

* Top financial goals among those polled included saving (56 percent) followed by paying off debt (38 percent) and planning for retirement (36 percent). Among those aged...