This paper highligthens the current trends of the Romanian banking system, both marketing and businesswise.In addition to a short theoretical review of the tools at hand, such as CLV, CRM, ERM, brand loyalty, client satisfaction, client retention and relationship marketing, specific features of the banking system underline the current lack of applicable client oriented strategies. Relationship marketing, a tool of the new marketing era, seems no longer a strategic approach to have in view, but a necessary tool to be implemented as soon as possible. And the reason-why becomes more obvious than ever:people rely on personal interaction, long term relations built on trust and mutual benefits, communication and transparency, which are significant ingredients that make a difference in terms of which bank should I choose to work with.In other words, the banking market as we know it, changes from a rigid segment to one that heavily requires a “human face”.