Saturday, 25 January 2020
The number and nature of transactions and services completed in our branches continues to reduce as customers increasingly choose to bank online or in other ways. In fact, branches now account for less than 10% of our overall customer transactions, and we’ve seen a 30% reduction in transactions over the past 5 years throughout the branch network.
As a result, after careful consideration and given the presence of other branches in close proximity, the Nelson Bay, Cardiff, Mayfield, and Maitland branches will cease trading on 13 March 2020.
There will be no job losses resulting from these branches, with all affected staff to be relocated to other branches to continue providing our trademark friendly service.
We have begun communicating with our customers, and in coming days will be in touch with all those who actively use one of these four branches. Our people will work with affected customers to help them transition to their new branch and become familiar with the local team.
Branches remain a critical part of our future and we currently maintain the largest branch network in the Hunter region. We haven’t made this decision lightly, however we must ensure we continue to adapt our services to our customers’ changing needs.
As a customer owned banking organisation, we continue to adapt to customers’ changing preferences and ensure our range of services aligns to our customers’ needs now and in the future.
We have a responsibility to all our customers to ensure that we deliver our services in the most efficient way that is aligned to customer demand.
This is part of the ongoing remodelling of our branch network, including investment in refurbishments to keep our branches modern and engaging, such as the recent Green Hills redevelopment.
We will continue to support our customers’ changing preferences as we deliver a better way of banking through our range of services, always with the warmth of a human touch.