By Kath Gannaway
The National Australia Bank will close its doors in Yarra Junction on Friday, 23 June citing the rise of digital banking as the driver behind the move.
The Mail was contacted on Tuesday 19 April by a long-time Yarra Junction resident and NAB customer who said he would be voicing his disgust at the closure by moving to another bank.
The man, who asked that his name be withheld for privacy reasons, said he didn’t do telephone banking and usually banked in person at the Yarra Junction branch.
He said the loss of a local branch would affect older customers in particular.
He said the two staff members were wonderful with their customers.
“There was an 80-year-old lady in there nearly in tears when I went in,” he said.
“The older generation are the ones who go in, put their money in, take it out there … talk to people.”
He questioned the loyalty of the NAB to its rural customers, saying at a time of record profits they were closing more and more branches without looking at the effect on the local business or wider community.
“They didn’t survey their customers, or consult; they just look at transactions on a bit of paper and say close it.”
But a spokesperson for the NAB told the Mail almost half their Yarra Junction customers visit the branch just once a year and the majority visit other branches in Lilydale, Croydon and Healesville.
“We are seeing fewer people using branches like they used to with more than 90 per cent of our customer interactions (nationally) now through digital channels,” she said.
She said customers had been contacted to advise them of the pending closure and to advise they could withdraw and deposit cash, pay bills and check their account balance at the Yarra Junction Post Office with Bank@Post.
“The Croydon branch, NAB mobile app, internet or telephone banking are also available,” she said.
