Radianz has offered similar services with a secure network linking over 15, 000 customer locations for 11 years, back before cloud was a term used to describe such activities, said Chris Pickles, head of marketing for financial services and wholesale banking at BT Global Services, now the parent company of Radianz.

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Some banks have also not clearly segregated the duties of employees providing banking services and those marketing the products of other financial-services providers, it said.

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Neil McGovern, senior director of marketing, financial services industry, for Sybase, said he was surprised at the responses.

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This situation can partially be attributed to financial services and marketing companies harping on the financial aspects of retirement.

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In response to a survey answered by 500 privacy and 900 marketing executives in industries ranging from health care to financial services, more than a third of marketing execs said they don't place any limits on the data they share with third parties, such as e-mail marketing agencies or online advertisers.

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In their marketing materials financial services firms presented images of successful retirement investors who prospered as a result of entrusting assets to these firms.

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In 1986 he became Director of Marketing for the Chicago-based Longman Financial Services Institute, where he created and implemented marketing campaigns for training programmes and products.

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The financial services industry pumps a lot of money into marketing equities, but there is a tilt away from equities at the moment.

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