Banking

There are fatal flaws in the Federal Government’s draft cash mandate regulations and they can be traced back to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's refusal to respond to Senate recommendations to fix the banking crisis in regional Australia.

Country Mayors Association of NSW Chairman, Mayor Rick Firman OAM has commended Westpac Bank for opening a new Regional Service Centre in Moree, in north-west NSW and for what appears to be a vastly improved attitude towards servicing country NSW communities.

The people of Wycheproof are deeply concerned by the recent announcement that Bendigo Bank will fully close its agency in the town. This decision, made without broad community consultation, has significant implications for residents, local businesses, and the liveability of the rural community.

Bendigo Bank torches regional development with selective blacklist based on mining. Just like the fictional Tasmanian town of Mystery Bay, a star in its own right in the hit ABC TV series Bay of Fires, Queenstown, where much of the show was filmed, is being held back by mysterious forces. Locals have suspected for some time that the town was a “no-go” area for home lending but like many other disadvantages they face due to remoteness, it was believed geography was the likely cause.

Darling Downs Bank has opened a new branch in Toowoomba with a launch party to welcome customers held on Monday of this week. The branch is located at Toowoomba Plaza and, being at the southern end of Ruthven Street, it is easily accessible...

NSW border town of Albury experienced a 16-fold increase in net migration from capitals in the year to June 2025. Regional Australia remains a strong draw for city dwellers, with 26 per cent more people relocating from capital cities to regional areas than vice versa, according to the June Quarter Regional Mover Index (RMI).

Cattle prices have risen solidly across all categories, supported by recent rainfall across southern Australia and strong demand from northern lot feeders. ANZ’s latest Agri InFocus report highlights the Female Slaughter Rate (FSR) as a key indicator of destocking activity over the past year, and the resulting surge in restocker demand.

Australia’s wine industry is showing signs of recovery after one of its most challenging decades – but the rebound remains fragile and uneven. According to ANZ’s latest Agri InFocus report, wine exports rose 13 percent in value to $2.48 billion in the year to June 2025, driven largely by renewed trade with mainland China following the reopening of that market. 

As the push for a cashless society continues, so does the exodus of financial institutions from the Yamba CBD, with BCU the latest to announce it will close its doors early next year. The Yamba CBD was once home to six different financial institutions, ANZ, BCU, Commonwealth Bank, NAB, St George, and Westpac.

Bendigo Bank closed its last remaining banking service in an Aboriginal community 27 days before celebrating the launch of its Aboriginal Reconciliation Action Plan. The Aurukun agency in far north Queensland was one of 27 to be closed in 2022-2023 under the eye of the bank’s now chief executive Richard Fennell when he was in charge of the consumer banking division.

A buoyant crowd gathered at Maldon Community Centre on Thursday 21 August to hear the announcement from Community Bank Maldon & District about its BIG Project grant, which offered a million dollars over five years to create long-lasting impact within the local community ... $650,000 will be invested with the Mount Alexander Affordable Housing Trust towards affordable housing in Maldon.

Bendigo Bank has pulled out of fundraising partnerships with community groups that have been drumming up business for corporate branches since 2004 ... The bank told community groups however, that it had reviewed this part of its business and determined the contributions were “not sustainable” ... Bendigo Bank has announced a $514.6 million profit.

In a time when big banks often feel distant from the communities they serve, Summerland Bank's proposed merger with Regional Australia Bank offers a refreshing alternative – one focused on mutual ownership, ethical banking, and a deep commitment to regional sustainability.

Warwick Credit Union has officially unveiled its new name - Darling Downs Bank. This marks an exciting new chapter for this long-standing regional financial institution. Established in Warwick in 1970, the customer owned bank has grown steadily across Southern Queensland…

The Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA) has welcomed the Council of Financial Regulators’ (CFR) report on small and medium-sized banks as positive first step in a broader reform journey. “We welcome the Government’s statement of intent on improving the regulatory framework, and the greater consideration of how future policy changes will impact customer-owned banks,” COBA CEO Michael Lawrence said.

Due to the high cost of Public Liability Insurance required to cover any potential accidents on the Playground the Goomburra Town Hall Committee has made the hard decision to close the Playground to the public.

A group of 25 regional banks and supporters have banded together to advocate to keep face-to-face branches open in regional towns. The organisations have formed the Regional Banking Investment Alliance (RBIA) and want essential bank branch services such as cash handling and fraud advice to be supported by a community service obligation (CSO) on the wider Australian banking sector to share the cost burden. 

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has continued its assault on its community bank network, forcing the closure of 28 agencies run by community franchises. All the agencies are in regional Australia and 17 of the affected towns will be left with no banking services after the closures. Bendigo Bank made no mention that the agencies were all operated by the owners of community banks when making the announcement last week that it was “retiring” its agency network.

Bendigo Bank has hit the headlines for closing 10 branches shortly followed by an announcement it was getting rid of all of its regional agencies but there are another 90-odd Bendigo-branded banks that have been shut over the past five years it has managed to keep quiet. Many of these were community franchises that have been disappearing in the dozens, with both regional and metropolitan areas impacted.

In a move which calls into question its positioning as the “better big bank”, Bendigo Bank has announced the closure of 10 branches - five in regional communities where they are the last remaining bank branch ... Only a full reversal of this move will protect the 32 full time equivalent roles and the essential service they undertake in their local communities ... including Queenstown in Tasmania, home to the West Coast Wilderness Railway.