A MEMBER-OWNED bank focused on supporting the local community is bucking the national trend of branch closures and remains committed to providing faceto-face banking services to regional Queenslanders.
Queensland Country Bank Ipswich Area Manager, Michael Doherty said that while 550 ‘Big Four’ branches have closed nationally since 2020, that was not the approach Queensland Country Bank is taking.
“One of the key differences for us is that we are a member-owned organisation so we can put people ahead of profits and deliver a genuine member experience,” Michael said.
“We understand that each member has their preferred way of doing business with us, and while online transactions offer great convenience, there are times when they need to be able to meet face to face to have a meaningful conversation about their financial goals.
“Our branches are conveniently located in Riverlink Shopping Centre and on South Station Road in Booval and include private meeting spaces and experienced staff able to assist members with their banking, budgeting and lending needs.”
Michael said this personal approach to banking was particularly important for members accessing lending services, with local property developments in Springfield, Augustine Heights and Brookwater driving demand for home loans.
“For many people, one of their key financial goals is to purchase their own home or investment property,” he said.
“We are able to assist our members to save for a deposit and budget for a sustainable loan repayment schedule with personalised advice and a range of products and services, including our extremely popular SmartBudget bill paying and budgeting tool.
“Queensland Country Bank is a participating member in the federal government’s Home Guarantee Scheme, which has enabled us to help eligible first home buyers and single parents to purchase their home with a deposit as little as five percent and without having to pay Lenders Mortgage Insurance.”
Michael said a key point of difference as a member-owned bank was their ability to reinvest their profits back into supporting the local community.
“Because the community supports us, as a member-owned bank, we’re able to give back to local associations through grants and sponsorships, and we’re proud to be the Major Sponsor of Ipswich Cricket, Gold Sponsor of Swifts Hockey Club and Bronze Sponsor of Ipswich State High School to support their educational programs.
“A large part of our membership base are longterm Members, in many cases spanning multiple generations, but we’re also seeing an increasing trend of consumers choosing to bank with an organisation that values people and the environment.
“Queensland Country Bank has recently been awarded with one of Canstar’s inaugural Outstanding
Value Green Car Loan Awards and we are an active participant in the UN Global Compact to ensure our operations and strategies align with the 10 principles in areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption to support UN goals.
“As an organisation, we’re committed to thinking globally while acting locally, and we look forward to supporting the Ipswich region for many years to come.”
