Management of Customer Protection Structure

We give first priority to our customers, and based on the policy that earning the trust of our customers is the basis for ensuring sound management and earning the trust of other stakeholders, we will continuously verify and improve the operations of the group from the perspective of customers in order to ensure adequacy of operations and improve customer convenience as well as compliance, and manage customer protection uniformly in the group.

We define management of customer protection as described below, clarifying the group management structure as well as management methods, and ensuring that each company draws up customer protection management regulations.

Management of customer protection refers to the management required for achieving the following from the perspective of improving the protection of our customers and improving customer convenience.

1. Ensuring the adequacy and sufficiency of the explanation of transactions, products etc. as well as the provision of information (explanation of products etc.) to customers regarding transactions and products.
2. Ensuring the adequacy and sufficiency of handling customer consultations and complaints (customer service).
3. Ensuring the adequacy of the management of customer information (customer information management).
4. Ensuring the adequacy of managing customers and customer information in the event that our operations are outsourced (management of outsourcing).
5. Ensuring the adequacy of the management of conflicts of interest refers to the management of the measures to be taken in order to appropriately address various situations of conflicts of interest that have stemmed from transactions with customers (management of conflicts of interest).

In addition to designating the compliance department as the customer protection general management department, each company establishes its own management structure by stipulating which departments are in charge of management of explanation of products etc., management of customer service, management of customer information and management of outsourcing, management of conflicts of interest (hereinafter customer management tasks).

The chief executive officer of MHFG appoints officers responsible for the general management of customer protection in order to promote appropriate management of customer protection. The Compliance and Legal Affairs Division is in charge of general management and monitor management of each customer management task. The department responsible for each customer management task draws up and implement proposals concerning the management tasks under their jurisdiction. MHFG also provides centralized monitoring and management of customer protection management at the principal banking subsidiaries and other core group companies. The principal banking subsidiaries and other core group companies also manage customer protection management at their own group companies.

Customer Protection Structure

In order to deal expeditiously, fairly and appropriately with complaints, etc., from customers MHCB and MHBK have concluded the basic contract for the implementation of dispute resolution procedures with the Japanese Bankers Association, which is a designated dispute resolution institution as defined in Japan's Banking Act.

The designated dispute resolution institution takes the steps towards resolution from a fair and neutral perspective in cases where the solutions to customers' complaints adopted by the two banks are not accepted.