7 June, 2021
NAB branches to stay - for now
It has been confirmed that the Pittsworth and Millmerran National Australia Bank (NAB) branches are here to stay for the present time, following NAB’s announcement it will be closing some of its regional and rural locations, including the Oakey branch.
The closure of branches in smaller towns is a result of a decrease in foot traffic and an increase in online and over the phone banking.
NAB Executive Retail Krissie Jones said COVID-19 showed the world that banking can be done remotely from anywhere, which is what has contributed to lower in person banking numbers.
“More than 93 per cent of customer interactions are now taking place over the phone, by video or online,” said Ms Jones.
“Over the past several years, fewer customers are coming into branches and foot traffic has lessened dramatically.
“Over the last year alone, we have seen a further 30 per cent reduction in over the counter and basic servicing transactions in our branches.
“As more and more customers are choosing to bank online, we’re investing in improving our digital platform to make it easier and faster.
“We are also training our bankers in regional Australia with new skills to serve customers in these channels.
“We are adding more than 280 colleagues to assist customers with phone and digital banking enquiries, and into operations roles.
“An additional 134 new small business bankers are being recruited and will also be based in regional locations across the country.”
Despite the closure of some branches, NAB Retail Customer Executive Nathan Hooper said the Pittsworth and Millmerran branches are not going anywhere for now.
“Our Pittsworth and Millmerran branch teams continue to be there for customer conversations as well as supporting education on evolving digital channels, including video banking, BYO device sessions, and online security,” he said.
“Any changes regarding the branch status will be communicated firstly with our customers and branch teams.”
In regional and rural locations the NAB branch closure notice period is 12 weeks.
During this time the branch team works closely with impacted customers, talking about the various banking alternatives available.
NAB says customers can bank at 3,500 Australia Post outlets around the country, where they can check account balances, pay bills and make deposits up to $10,000 cash, or withdrawals up to $2,000 per day.
