For the fourth straight year, U.S. Bank has ranked first in a privacy study conducted by the Ponemon Institute, a Traverse City, Mich.-based information management research firm. In addition, the institute’s Privacy Trust Study for Retail Banking has ranked the Minneapolis-based bank in the top five since it began the study six years ago.

The Ponemon Institute study measures consumer perceptions of trustworthiness for retail banking and identifies the issues that influence consumer opinion. This year, Ponemon found that while the global financial crisis has had a negative impact on banks’ scores overall, five of the top six banks saw an increase in their scores, including U.S. Bank.

Financial stability, customer service, clear privacy and security practice disclosures, online banking identity and authentication processes and a commitment to stand behind the customer in cases of a breach or identity theft were cited as positive factors impacting consumer trust in banks. Factors such as data breaches, rumors related to poor security practice and aggressive use of data coupled with offshore data management were found to have a detrimental effect on perception.

The 2009 Privacy Trust Study for Retail Banking was derived from a final sample of 6,950 surveys returned from adult consumers residing in all geographic regions of the United States.