Singapore  - Seven major charities have passed a governance review, but were still found wanting in several areas, Singapore's Commissioner of Charities (COC) said on Wednesday.

Among them were Campus Crusade Asia: City Harvest Church, Faith Community Baptist Church, Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, New Creation Church and Trinity Christian Centre.

Some of the charities still have paid staff chairing their boards, the COC said, raising the possibility of compromising the board's objectivity.

The COC urged more measures be put in place to manage problems that may arise, such as formalizing a conflict of interest policy.

It said charities should also seek proper approval of all loans, noting that some had been given without the documented approval of the board.

The charities were also exhorted to spell out application requirements, evaluation criteria and approval limits relating to donations, the COC said.

A separate survey revealed public confidence in charities has rebounded three years after a scandal at the National Kidney Foundation, the city-state's largest charity at the time.

Forty per cent of respondents to a National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre poll had "above moderate to complete confidence" in charities, compared to 28 per cent in
2006.

Ten per cent of the 1,900 people polled had "below moderate to no confidence, down from 20 per cent in 2006. (dpa)