The NAB Canowindra branch has announced it will be closing on Thursday, November 30, with the bank’s customers now needing to travel to Cowra for banking purposes.
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In a letter to customers, the NAB wrote: “This has been a carefully considered decision and is the result of an extensive review of NAB’s branches in the Orange region and of the changing ways our customers are banking with us”.
“As a result of this change, your account details will be automatically transferred to the Cowra branch… on Monday, December 4.”
However Ken Bennett from First Choice Credit Union said he is disappointed with a number of media reports suggesting Canowindra would be left without face to face banking options after the branch’s closure.
“The impression given was that there was nowhere in Canowindra of any significance and people would have to go out of town. But we’ve (First Choice Credit Union) been here 20 odd years. The three girls on the front counter do the credit union banking.”
Mr Bennett also noted that people can also bank through other places such as the Post Office.
“I was more concerned that the people of Canowindra know that there was somewhere in town they can bank. There’s two facilities adequate for the size of the town and one is an equivalent to a bank.”
Debbie Guihot, owner of The Plague & I, said while the closure of the NAB branch will make it harder for day to day banking, she still uses First Choice Credit Union as well.
“It will make it more difficult to do some of our general banking but we also use First Choice Credit Union,” she said.
She fears that the branch's closure will result in less locals shopping in Canowindra.
“We will lose foot traffic in the street. If people have to travel to Cowra to do their banking, they will probably shop there too.”
She said she hopes locals will instead turn to using the other financial institutions in town.
“I hope the customers will take up usage of the agencies or make the move to the First Choice Credit Union, its been here for 20 years.”