Silkstone resident Mark Plumb was surprised when he received a letter informing him that his Commonwealth Bank branch at Booval would be closing its doors in just over a month.
“We got it in writing from Commonwealth Bank and it said from March 5 at 4pm it will be closing permanently,” he said.
The bank’s Regional General Manager, Kylie Hall said the decision to close the Booval branch was the result of a lease expiry and unsatisfactory review of the branch’s performance.
“We regularly review our branch locations across Australia to help us make informed decisions on where to open new branches, where to renovate or upgrade existing branches, and in some instances where to close branches,” she said.
“Following a recent review and in line with our lease expiry, we made the difficult decision to permanently close the Booval branch.
“This branch has had a 47 percent drop in transactions over the past five years.”
Ms Hall said prior to Covid, the banking giant was experiencing a rise in online transactions and social distancing regulations had only continued to drive users to online options.
“Before the Coronavirus pandemic, around two-thirds of our customers were using digital channels for their everyday banking needs … only six percent of customers visited our branches for these tasks,” she said.
“The Coronavirus pandemic has accelerated a continuing shift in banking behaviour with a significant proportion of our customers seeking assistance through our Australian-based contact centres.”
But Mr Plumb wasn’t buying it, he felt as though the branch was regularly busy and said as an older couple, he and his wife had difficulty navigating the online banking world.
“It’s all rubbish about what people want these days because people are using the computer more, but that bank is so busy,” he said.
“I’ve never been in there without being in a queue, there’s only two cubicles in there to be served, if you want to pay bills or deal with cash.
“My wife and I are in our 60s and there’s a lot of older people that use that bank.
“We have an internet but we don’t do any internet banking.”
Ms Hall said many elderly Commonwealth customers did engage in internet banking, however those who would prefer to do it in person would still have the option to at nearby branches.
“Customers in older demographics are actively engaging with CBA online,” she said.
“For customers over the age of 60, more than twice as many had accessed NetBank or the CommBank App in the past month, compared to the number who had visited a branch in the last three months.
“We’ve ensured customers who prefer over-the-counter service still have access to this option. For Booval customers, we have nearby branches at Ipswich, Redbank and Goodna.
“Additionally, the Booval Fair Post Shop Australia Post outlet, also in Booval Fair Shopping Centre, is available for customers to conduct personal and business banking transactions such as withdrawals, deposits and bill payments including passbooks during normal business hours.”
