Bank of Queensland has threatened aggrieved branch owners unhappy with what they say are paltry buyout offers from head office, warning them not to speak with the media or they will face “consequence management”.

It is a step-up in hostilities between the Brisbane-headquartered lender and the franchise network it has run for more than two decades. The network was once core to its strategy, but the bank announced last month that it would forcibly take over more than 100 shopfronts run by owner-managers for $125 million by next March.