The intense competition among firms in the new global environment has made it inevitable for firms to seek ways to create and maintain quality relationship with customers, and Malaysia banks are no exception. However, little is understood from empirical viewpoint about the antecedents of relationship quality specifically, the actual influence of overall customer satisfaction and its indicators. Based on data collected from 220 customers of 15 retail banks in Malaysia and analysed using the structural equation modelling technique, findings are that overall customer satisfaction is a key determinant of relationship quality. The indicators of customer satisfaction include trust, commitment, communication, service quality, service satisfaction and conflict handling. These results are not confounded by any service differential among the participating banks. Important theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed.Journal of Financial Services Marketing (2006) 11, 131-141. doi:10.1057/palgrave.fsm.4760033 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Financial Services Marketing is the property of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.