‘It’s time for the CBA to repay the loyalty of customers and worker’; Mayor wants Belmore branch kept open
Commonwealth Banks is closing its Belmore branch on Friday but Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour is urging them to reverse the decision, saying residents were not consulted.
The Express
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COMMONWEALTH Bank is closing its Belmore branch on Friday but Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour is urging them to reverse the decision, saying residents were not consulted.
A Commonwealth Bank spokeswoman told the Express they are shutting down the branch at 407 Burwood Rd, Belmore, because of nearly 45 per cent decline in transactions over the past five years.
The branch has been in operation in Belmore since December 1931 and it’s closure is being slammed by Cr Asfour, who said he had written to the bank’s CEO Matt Comyn, asking him reverse the decision.
“Residents were not consulted, in fact, the first they knew about it was when a poster
appeared on the window of the bank,” Cr Asfour said.
“This decision is going to affect many residents, particularly the elderly who usually don’t use
internet banking and prefer face-to-face customer service.
He urged residents, who now have to travel to Campsie or Lakemba to do their banking, to make their voices heard.
“Write to the CBA and let it know this is not on,” Cr Asfour said.
“It’s time for the CBA to repay the loyalty of its customers and workers, by genuinely listening to them, rather than act in ways which indicate it cares more about profits than people.”
The bank spokeswoman said customers could use the nearby Australian post office to do a lot of their normal transactions, including withdrawals, deposits and bill payments and passbook accounts or their branches at Campsie and Lakemba.
She said a customer notification was posted at the branch on August 3.
The bank spokeswoman said their customers are increasingly choosing other banking channels to complete their banking “using our mobile, online and phone banking services instead of visiting the branch”.
“In fact, we’ve seen a 44 per cent decline in transactions in this branch over the past five years,” she said.
“Following a recent review, we have made the difficult decision to close our Belmore branch and understand that some members of the community will be disappointed.”
Belmore resident Damian Bridge, who helps his elderly neighbours with their banking needs, said Commonwealth Bank is not being fair to the older residents and the community.
“The whole thing has really been poorly thought out because many people feel comfortable using the bank,” Mr Bridge said.
“Banks say that less and less people are going into branches but, while that may apply to
younger people, I’ve been asked by many elderly people in my street for help with banking
and they’re still using passbooks, not using apps or online banking.
“I use the bank sporadically but I am most concerned about my elderly neighbours and we have an ageing population in Canterbury.
“When I went to the bank the other day, no one told me about the facilities at the post office.
“The bank can do better because they say they want to be a part of the community but are not living up to this.”
According to the latest census data, just under 10 per cent of Belmore’s residents are aged
70-84, almost two per cent more than the average in Canterbury-Bankstown.