Commonwealth fight ends: Portland's last bank branch closes its doors

The Portland Business Association issued a statement on Thursday which said the moment signified a change for the Portland Community – the closure of the last bank in town. 

Portland Business Association President, Andrew Neville, said it had been a disappointing 12 weeks since the closure was first indicated by the bank by the posting of a sign outside the branch. 

“Sadly, there are some customers who are yet to receive an official letter from the bank informing them of the closure,” he said.  

“Some of these customers have been banking with them for over thirty years.”

During the past 12 weeks the bank was invited to a town meeting which the Association said it declined to attend.

“I think the least they could have done was actually front the community that they are deserting face to face. It’s gutless.

“I had an offer the week after the town meeting to meet with the Central and Western NSW area manager so it could be explained to me how they are supporting customers during the transition.

“That’s not what the community wanted.

“The whole community wanted to meet with the bank, not just me…and to talk about it closing not how to transition.”

Mr Neville said responses to the letters written directly to the CEO had also been disappointing.

“We seem to get a reply from someone different in the Bank each time. Never Mr Comyn himself. Perhaps he is too busy with the Royal Commission to worry about the Portland community,” he said. 

Mr Neville acknowledged the support of Lithgow City Council during the last three months and local Federal MP, Andrew Gee.

Mr Gee spoke out about the closure on Thursday, stating that he was “very disappointed with the response of the Commonwealth Bank to date over the Portland branch closure”.

“Despite writing to the Commonwealth Bank’s CEO three times to date, I’ve unfortunately only received cookie cutter responses from the bank’s government relations staff. You’d think that with all this bad publicity coming out of the Banking Royal Commission, they’d be taking a more constructive attitude,” he said. 

“The bank has refused to reconsider its decision to close the branch, and in a further slap in the face to the community, they’ve actually now listed the site for sale.”

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Mr Gee said it was hard to believe they were “just cutting and running” without fronting the community to explain why.

“It’s a very shabby way for the bank to treat their loyal customers,” he said. 

“They’ve continually brushed-off concerns about breaching the Bank Closure Protocol by simply saying that they’ve given 12 weeks’ notice of the closure and that’s all they had to do.

“In my most recent correspondence to the bank, I raised with them the future of the ATM in Portland and the bank has responded that it will ‘remain open for use’, although the bank has not indicated for how long.”

In a statement this month, a spokesperson from the Commonwealth Bank stated that Portland would still have access to everyday banking services through the post office. 

“Customers can continue to complete personal and business banking transactions such as withdrawals, deposits and bill payments, including passbook accounts, during normal business hours at the Australia Post outlet located on Williwa Street 500 metres down the road,” the spokesperson said. 

Mr Neville said he believed that it is the Portland community that would be the winner eventually.

“Yes it is disappointing that at a time when we are getting ready to decorate our town in lights for Christmas, the only bank turns its lights out on a loyal community. But I’m confident that in the future we will see a community bank or credit union come to our town. 

“Perhaps then, the Commonwealth Bank will look back and see what they actually missed out on – a growing, vibrant, loyal town.”