Banks stand ready to support customers and communities during Sydney and NSW lockdown

Matt Comyn, CEO of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Chair of the Australian Banking Association today (Sunday 27 June 2021) urged customers who may already be financially impacted by the lockdown or who are worried about the knock-on effects to them to contact their bank or financial institution to find out what support measures can be individually tailored to them.

With a significant proportion of the NSW population in lockdown Mr Comyn said the banking industry was acutely aware of the financial and social impacts that are likely to result as a consequence.

“Our communities have shown how resilient they can be but we know that it is important to assure them that the country’s banks including CBA stand ready to help them with a series of financial support measures including lending and individually tailored assistance,” he said.

“I urge anyone who is concerned about their financial circumstances to contact their bank or financial institution to see what help there is available to them. 

Mr Comyn said that like the other major employers in NSW, around 20,000 CBA employees will be working from home during this latest lockdown but he emphasised that CommBank and other banks would be open for business during the two week-long lockdown.  The bank’s network of branches and ATMs will continue to serve customers while operating under strict COVID-19 safety protocols.

"We will continue to keep our customers informed via the CommBank App and Netbank while our Australian-based contact services – staffed centrally and remotely – are already handling additional requests for assistance. 

“We are able to serve our customers through a variety of different and safe ways in these testing times,” added Mr Comyn.

“Banking is a designated essential service and we very much remain open for business. We have shown that we can do that securely while keeping our people and customers safe and well. Now is the time for us to come together again and support all of the efforts being made to overcome this latest challenge.

“As the past year and half has shown, Australia has a strong, stable and very secure financial system. This includes well-capitalised and strong banks like CBA which together with the support of the federal and state governments, regulators and the broader industry, have helped the country get through the worst pandemic in 100 years. The country’s track record since March last year shows we can weather this latest storm and we as industry can help do that by providing the necessary support where it is needed.

“Despite the threat posed by this latest variant in Sydney and NSW, I am confident that the measures being taken will bring the health situation under control and that we can resume our normal lives again as we have done in recent months.”

For the latest retail and business customer support measures please go to: https://www.commbank.com.au/articles/newsroom/2021/06/covid-support-measures-announced.html