News

In a world of change, Lyn Maber has been banking with The Mutual Bank for almost 60 years - and 44 of those years at the East Maitland Branch.She helped The Mutual Bank CEO Mark Williams cut the ribbon on Tuesday 3 June 2025 to officially open our newly renovated branch on George Street East Maitland.Mark said the bank’s vision was to create a modern and functional environment that customers would love, and teams would enjoy working in.“Our passion for service shines through every aspect of our business,” Mark said.“We are committed to providing exceptional personal service in our branches, and this newlyrenovated branch is a testament to that commitment. This contemporary, state-of-the-art facility brings a fresh, modern feel for our Members, and for our Branch Team.”Ms Maber said she loves her new-look branch and was happy to continue her long stint of banking locally.“I’ve been with The Mutual Bank since I was about 18, and I am nearly 77!” she proudly exclaimed.“It’s the service, the friendliness that keeps me coming back.“I have been a member since I was in my late teens and back then it was a branch in Church Street Maitland.“When the East Maitland Branch opened [in 1981] I started to come here, and I’ve always stuck with them as they've always looked after me.“Only recently I needed some help with my cards because of scammers, and the service I received was extra special. “One of the exciting new features of the renovated branch is a special area dedicated to community organisations.“We believe in supporting our community, and this space is available for local charities, sporting organisations and fundraising groups to use during branch hours,” said Mark.“They can bring in posters, set up a laptop, and engage with people who visit the branch about their upcoming events or initiatives. This is our way of giving back and fostering a strong sense of community.”Mark praised the architects, ARCH, and builders Collaborative Construction Solutions for making the vision of a new branch a reality with a seamless project.“Their expertise and dedication have been instrumental in bringing this project to life," he said.“Most importantly, we thank our Members for their patience and continued support during the construction period and we hope they enjoy the new look and features of their branch.”

The Mutual Bank team trust all our Members are keeping safe during the current extreme weather in the Hunter Region and parts of New South Wales.  Chief Member Officer Matthew Dunnill said The Mutual Bank Team is here to help any Member who has been impacted by rain and flooding.  “Members experiencing financial hardship, or any other banking issue, can call our team on 1300 688 825, email us at info@themutual.com.au or visit your local branch,” he said.  "We have a Financial Hardship Request Form on our website which you can fill out and email back to us, and our team will be in touch to see how we may be able to assist you. “Members who have CGU insurance can call 13 24 80 or make a claim online at cgu.com.au/claims.”    The SES have recommended Live Traffic to keep you updated on road conditions and in particular road closures. It can be accessed here. The NSW SES, ABC Newcastle radio and the Port Stephens, Maitland and Cessnock Councils have regular updates on their websites and Facebook feeds.  The safety of our staff is paramount and some branches may be closed during lunch breaks.  Anyone who has experienced damage from the rain or has floodwater threatening their property, please call the State Emergency Service on 132 500. Call 000 in an emergency.

We are thrilled to announce that our East Maitland Branch has reopened after a major renovation! At The Mutual Bank, our passion for service shines through every aspect of our business. We are committed to providing exceptional personal service in our branches, and our newly renovated East Maitland Branch is a testament to that commitment. This contemporary, state-of-the-art facility brings a fresh, modern feel for you, our Members, and for our Branch Team. The East Maitland Branch, at 110 George Street East Maitland,  is the first to be redeveloped in our Branch of the Future program. This initiative aims to create a modern and functional environment that our Members enjoy visiting and our teams enjoy working in. The new design features improved navigation and functionality, ensuring a seamless banking experience. As a customer-owned bank, our profits go back into supporting our community and providing better products and services for our Members. Our goal is to give you the best banking experience possible. We believe in offering our Members a choice. While some Members prefer to deal with us in person, an increasing number of Members choose to self-service online. To support this, we successfully implemented a Digital Loan Origination Platform in 2024. We thank our Members for their patience and continued support during the construction period. Come and visit Promise and her team and experience the new look of our East Maitland Branch!

Please note our branch and Contact Centre trading hours, including payment processing changes, for the Easter and Anzac Day long weekends.  Easter: Closed from 5pm on Thursday 17 April and return to normal trading hours at 9am Tuesday 22 April.  Please note any scheduled payments for the period 18-21 April will be processed in advance on Thursday 17 April.  Anzac Day: Closed from 5pm on Thursday 24 April and returning to normal trading hours on Monday 28 April.  Any scheduled payments for 25-27 April will be processed in advance on Thursday 24 April.  We thank you for your understanding.  Edgeworth Branch will be closed from 5pm on Thursday 17 April and will re-open at 9am on Monday 28 April.  If you are travelling over this period, we wish you a safe and happy journey. 

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our redesigned Mutual App, bringing you a fresh look and enhanced functionality to make your banking experience even better.  Thanks to valuable Member feedback, we've made changes to the navigation menu in our App, making it more user-friendly and intuitive. This includes:  A streamlined menu layout for easier access to key features.  Enhanced categorisation of services to help find what you need quickly.  Members can also now view and set their own daily transaction limits on payments. Previously, this required messaging or calling our team, but now you have the convenience and autonomy to manage your limits directly from the app.  You can update your limit from the standard $5,000 up to $20,000. If you wish to lower the limit again, you will need to manually update it back to $5,000. Multi-factor authentication is required to ensure the security of your transactions.  We are excited about these changes and our aim to bring you greater convenience and control over your banking experience. Stay tuned for more updates to Internet Banking and our website.  What do I need to do to get the new-look App?  If you have automatic updates set up on your device your existing Mutual App will automatically upgrade, otherwise you will need to update via the App Store or Google Play Store.  How do I change my daily transaction limits on Internet Banking?  Once logged in, go to the main Menu in the top of the home screen> Settings >Daily transaction Limits.  How do I change my daily transaction limits on the App?  Go to the main Menu in the top left of home screen> Settings>App security and banking limits>Daily transaction limits.  Need more help? Please call our friendly Contact Centre Team on 1300 688 825. You can learn more about the Mutual App here.

We are beyond excited to share the exciting news that our East Maitland Branch will undergo a major renovation in early 2025. While the magic of the construction occurs, we will need to temporarily close the East Maitland Branch in February 2025. The Mutual Bank’s passion for service shines through our entire business and we are committed to continuing to provide exceptional personal service in our branches. We can’t wait to welcome Members to our contemporary, state-of-the-art premises in East Maitland which we believe will bring a fresh modern feel for you, our Members, and for our Branch Team. According to data collected by APRA, almost 800 bank branches have closed in regional areas between June 2017 and June 2023. That number accounts for more than one third of all regional bank branches. In contrast, The Mutual Bank recognises the importance of a physical presence for our Members which has sparked this multi-year program to refurbish our branch network. East Maitland is the first branch we will redevelop in our Branch of the Future program with the aim to provide a modern and functional environment that our Members enjoy visiting and our teams enjoy working in. You are invited to look at the designs now on display in our East Maitland Branch. As a customer-owned bank, our profits go back into supporting our community and into providing better products and services for our Members. Our goal is to give you the best banking experience possible. We believe in offering our Members a choice. Some of our Members choose to deal with us in person, while an increasing number of Members may choose to self-service online. We successfully implemented a Digital Loan Origination Platform in 2024 as part of this choice offering. The construction works are expected to take up to 12 weeks and during this time we will establish a temporary branch at our Head Office in Green Hills, right next to the Stockland Shopping Centre. You can also visit our friendly teams at Raymond Terrace, Maitland, Rutherford, Dungog, Mayfield and Edgeworth. The ATM at the East Maitland Branch will still be operational during the construction works, but there may be times when the service is interrupted. We thank our Members for their patience and continued support during the construction period and apologise for the inconvenience. We can’t wait to welcome you into your fresh new branch!