The Australian Bankers' Association released a revised Code of Banking Practice yesterday which highlighted a number of improvements to the voluntary code, but it conceded that it needs to do more to raise community awareness of the consumer rights the document sets out.The ABA's chief executive, Steven Munchenberg, said the focus of the revision was to provide additional support for people in need.He said stronger financial hardship provisions would put the onus on banks to be more alert to customers in financial difficulty and to respond promptly to requests for assistance. Banks are encouraged to contact customers they believe are struggling, rather than to wait for the customer to contact them.Code signatories must give a commitment not to combine accounts (taking money from one account to pay debt in another) or assign debt when they are dealing with a customer in difficulty.The revised code includes a commitment to provide information about low-cost or no-cost accounts to low income customers and anyone with a Commonwealth concession card, such as a Seniors Health Card.The chargeback rules (having transactions cancelled if goods are not delivered), which are often contentious, have been clarified in relation to debit cards and debits under recurrent payment arrangements.Signatories to the revised code will also only sell debts to third parties who agree to comply with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission's guidelines for debt collectors.In addition, there is greatly expanded section dealing with banking in remote indigenous communities. Munchenberg said there were ongoing discussions in this area, such as how to ease the problems people in remote communities have in providing the identification required to open a bank account.The ABA worked with more than a dozen community and consumer groups on the revision. Initial responses from these groups have been positive. Financial Counselling Australia said it welcomed the revised code.One point the community groups made was that banks needed to do more to inform customers about their rights.Munchenberg said: "We acknowledge that awareness is not high enough. Only 25 per cent of people know that their bank is obliged to provide hardship assistance."The new code will take effect in February next year.