Former customers of the defunct Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria (SGBN) have praised its new owners, Heritage Bank Company Nigeria Limited, (HBCN), for living up to its promises on verification for the customers of the moribund financial institution.

The exercise, which has led to the refund of the SGBN depositors' money (of the concerned customers) they claimed, has boosted the image of the family members of the late Olusola Saraki, the owners of the bank, are.

Some of the customers in separate chats with The Guardian in Ilorin, said they had initially lost all hopes of regaining their deposits, citing the long time between the liquidation period and the clamour for the customers accounts verification.

The customers are Fiolu Pharmacy, Mrs Bola Olakonu, Ilorin, and Alhaji Bisi Adebayo, also an Ilorin-based business man.

For example, Fiolu said: "By this development, I will want to remain a customer of the new bank. I had thought all hope had been lost on my money at the SGBN, but when I got back my money it was like a dream to me."

Operations Manger of the defunct SGBN, Mrs Folasade Yusuf, in a chat with The Guardian said Heritage remained the only bank in the history of banking in the country that would pay customers 100 per cent of their deposits after a takeover.

Yusuf added that many customers of the SGBN were not collecting back their money as they all believed that the new bank would take them to their next financial level.