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We're here to help
Anyone can experience a period of financial hardship. You are not alone. We are here to help you when you need it most.
Financial stress can be a result of unplanned life events or circumstances such as a change in income, illness, relationship breakdown, reduction in business cash flow, or natural disasters. Whatever the cause, we’re here to work with you and to help you understand what assistance options may be available to get you back on your feet.
Reaching out can be difficult but the sooner you do, the quicker we can gain an understanding of your individual circumstances and see what we can do to assist. When speaking with our financial hardship team it’s important to be open, honest and realistic about your financial position.
At The Mutual Bank we respect your privacy and ensure all sensitive information is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. All discussions are held in confidence.
Ways we can help you
Depending on your individual circumstances, our team may be able to assist you with support options such as loan deferrals, arrears capitalisation, interest-only periods, or other appropriate relief. If you are a depositor member-only, there may also be ways that we can help you, so we encourage you to reach out and talk to us if you are experiencing financial difficulty.
For support, talk to us now on 1300 688 825 or schedule a call back at a time that suits you.
Member First Philosophy
The Mutual Bank is member owned which means that we consider the needs of all of our members in everything that we do. And we are here to support our members when it is needed most. Our financial hardship team is committed to helping redirect you on your path back towards long-term financial stability when you need it.
Tips to recover from a financial setback
Getting back on your feet after a financial setback can feel like an uphill battle. To assist with your financial recovery, we have put together a couple of tips that may be able to assist you to return back to being financially stable.
1. Look at your current situation
The first thing you need to do is to review your current financial situation. Write down your income streams, then create a list of your weekly, fortnightly, monthly, and yearly expenditures.
Your debts could be such things as bills, loans, or credit card debt. Don’t forget the big yearly items such as car registration, insurances, or recurring payments for appointments that you need to keep.
There are many free resources on the internet to help you get started with making your budget such as the free online budget planner on Australian Government website Moneysmart.com.au.
Work out how much you need to save each pay cycle to cover your bills, and with the remaining amount, workout a savings and spending budget. Prioritise necessities such as groceries and fuel before putting money aside for discretionary spending.
2. Reduce your expenses
You may have heard of the term ‘lifestyle creep’, but if you haven’t, let us explain. Essentially, the lifestyle creep happens when your income increases. A person might start to regularly spend money on things they might not have thought about when they were on a lower income. Examples of succumbing to lifestyle creep could be having your car regularly detailed, purchasing a new outfit for every occasion, buying your lunch whilst at work every day, or choosing a higher priced phone plan.
Can any of these non-essential expenses be cut back on, removed entirely, or paid off faster? In some instances, you may be able to reduce your phone plan or electricity plan, cancel a streaming service, or reuse or recycle items you already own.
3. Know which debts to prioritise
When examining your bills/debts, know which ones need to be prioritised and which ones can be put on hold. In most instances, loan repayments, insurance costs, and car registration should be your priority.
If you are going to be late paying a bill or other debt, we encourage you to contact your Provider to find out what assistance options they may have available to those facing financial difficulty.
External Helpful Resources
Moneysmart
An Australian government website that offers financial guidance with simple tools, tips, and calculators.
Beyond Blue - 1300 224 636
Beyond Blue provides mental health support services to people living in Australia
National Debt Helpline - 1800 007 007
The National Debt Helpline is a free, independent service offering confidential advice to those experiencing financial troubles.
Small Business Debt Helpline - 1800 413 828
The Small Business Debt Helpline offers free and confidential advice to small businesses and sole traders experiencing financial difficulty.
Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) - 1800 344 090
The RFCS offers free, confidential financial counselling and support to farmers and rural small businesses.
Ask Izzy
Ask Izzy is a website that connects people who are in crisis with the services they need right now and nearby.
FAQs
The Mutual Bank defines Financial Hardship as the difficulty in meeting the repayments on your loans, debts, bills, and other financial obligations. If you are unable to make a repayment, please contact our Member Services Team on 1300 688 825.
It is a period of time (usually up to six months) where you have arranged for your regular loan repayments to be deferred to allow you to get on top of your finances. During this time, interest will continue to be charged on your loan, however any late payment penalties will be waived. The repayments deferred will be recalculated back into remaining term of the loan. This may result in your monthly repayments increasing upon the expiry of the deferral period.
Before the loan deferral expires, we will get in touch to review your position and to discuss whether you are in a position to recommence loan repayments. If you are, we will remind you of your monthly repayment amount, and assist with setting up automatic payments depending on your pay cycle. If your financial position has not improved, we may request a meeting with you to again review your full financial position and discuss your options moving forward.
Yes, they apply to all loans including owner occupied and investment home loans, personal loans, business loans and credit cards.
An Interest Only repayment option for financial hardship purposes is usually provided for a term of up to twelve months. This may result in your monthly repayments increasing upon the expiry of the interest only period.
