THE main street landscapes of Muswellbrook and Singleton have suffered another blow, with St George Bank announcing branch closures in both towns next year.
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Staff and customers were notified the Bridge Street and John Street premises, respectively, would close on March 2, 2018, however the ATMs are expected to remain.
The two closest branches that will continue to help clients in the Hunter are Maitland and Cessnock.
The news has upset many residents, including Muswellbrook’s Joan Ray.
“I’ve been a member for 29 years,” she said.
“I started banking with St George in April, 1988.
“I was devastated when I got the letter informing me of the decision.
“It’s sad to see the branch close, especially for the staff who have always been friendly and helpful.”
A St George spokesperson said the steady decline in foot traffic was a key factor in the outcome.
Just five per cent of customer transactions are taking place in branches these days, as more and more people choose to use digital banking channels like mobile banking, internet banking and smart ATMs.
“Following a recent consultation period, we have made the difficult decision to proceed with the closures of our St George Singleton and Muswellbrook branches,” she explained.
“We wish for the Hunter community, including local businesses and our customers, to know that the decision to close the branch was not made lightly.
“We’ve sent letters to our customers providing them with specific information about the changes.
“We are committed to helping them through a number of options, including our relationship with the Muswellbrook and Singleton Post Offices to offer Bank@Post.
“This is a convenient way for customers to continue to perform over-the-counter transactions, at no cost, such as depositing cash and cheques, cash withdrawals and balance enquiries.”
The spokesperson said customers could use the St George ATMs, which will remain in place as well as EFTPOS at all major retailers.
“There are also a range of 24/7 banking options available to them via internet, mobile and phone banking,” she added.
“However, helping customers is our number one priority and if a customer wishes to continue with branch-based banking, we have procedures in place for branch staff to work closely with the local Westpac branch to transition customers, if they wish.
“We encourage those who are concerned about their future banking needs to contact us to see how we can help.
“We’ll be calling any passbook customers to assist in the transition of enabling them to continue their daily banking requirements through an account that has card access.”
