The survey of UK SMEs carried out by CivilisedBank also revealed that over half (55%) of respondents believed that it wasn't a priority for banks to behave in a 'civilised' manner.

Some of the reasons for the negative sentiment included the continued closure of branches, poor customer service and the emphasis on profits before service.

One respondent claimed that bank staff were pressured to make short-term sales to boost low basic salaries, instead of focusing on long-term business development and client relationships.

A number of executives at SMEs said that with the removal of local relationship managers, there was no consistent point of contact at their bank, resulting in a limited understanding of their business to help inform decisions.

More than four-fifths (82%) of SMEs believed that bank's behaved in a civilised way, at least some of the time, however, 3% felt that banks never behaved in a civilised way, with 8% believing banks operated in a civilised way all the time.

Almost three-quarters (73%) agreed that they would consider a bank that behaved in a civilised way, over those that do not.

Meanwhile, almost half of SMEs (46%) also believed that it was extremely important for their suppliers and partners to behave in a civilised way.

“It's clear that SMEs want to see change,” said Philip Acton, chief executive officer at CivilisedBank.

“Despite many initiatives since 2008, a quarter of executives at SMEs still think nothing has changed in banking.

“As an industry, banking needs to get back to the future and to revisit customer service and personal relationships, something that has been lost over the years.

“While much has changed since the 2008 global financial crisis, the good work that's been done has not resonated with the wider public.

“As a sector, banks need to reconnect with SME customers.”

Over half of SMEs (59%) selected 'fair treatment of customers' as representing what being civilised means to their business.