News

The Mutual Bank is supporting seven local charities to help make the lives of families facing a bleak winter a little easier.   Alongside the already rising cost of living, the cold weather can be a tough time for families as they experience a rise in utility and food bills to get through the season.   The Mutual Bank’s Chief Member Officer Matthew Dunnill said no donation was too small and can be dropped into any of our seven branches.  “Local charities do such an amazing job and I’m so pleased our team has chosen to once again demonstrate one of our core values, Care, and run our winter appeal,” he said.  “I hope our Members can consider adding to the donations too,” he said.  Each branch pairs with a local charity, so you know your donation is going towards families in your LGA. Learn more about the seven organisations and the donations their collecting below:   Dungog Shire Community Centre (Dungog Branch): collecting vouchers, tinned food and pantry items, personal and feminine hygiene products. No clothing or blankets please.  Carries Place (East Maitland Branch): collecting non-perishable foods, personal hygiene items, new blankets, sleeping bags, beanies, scarves, tents and swags.  REACH Homeless Services (Maitland Branch): collecting tinned food and long-life pantry items, bottled water, warm and weatherproof clothing, personal hygiene items, sleeping bags, backpacks, umbrellas, gift cards and Opal cards.  Soul Hub (Mayfield and Edgeworth Branch): collecting tinned food (with ring top pull) and long-life pantry items, rice, pasta, dog food and personal hygiene items.  Port Stephens Family and Neighbourhood Service (Raymond Terrace Branch): collecting tinner foods and pantry items, school snacks, beanies and gloves Maitland Region Community Support (Rutherford Branches): pantry staples, soups, pasta, milo and hot chocolate sachets, winter clothing and blankets.  Lifeline (Head Office) Check out which branch is closest to you on our website: Contact Us | The Mutual Bank  

You can now apply for a loan with The Mutual Bank from the comfort of your own home, with our new digital lending channel. Applicants can securely provide loan and personal details, upload statements and verify identification on the platform – all on your phone, tablet or home computer, at any time of the day or night. CEO Mark Williams said the new digital loan platform complements the bank’s well known personalised service and enables growth. “Member expectations are changing, and we are using this technology as a tool to assist and enhance one of our key strengths – our personal service. “This digital loan platform secures The Mutual Bank’s future by making our loans more accessible to a wider audience across Australia, ensuring we remain competitive and relevant in a rapidly changing environment. “We’re proud to offer banking choice and convenience. It’s now even easier to do business with us by applying online for a loan or speaking directly with our team.” Mark said the new system will not replace staff, rather streamline workloads allowing for more time spent with Members and increasing capacity for growth. “We have been helping our community thrive since 1888 and have constantly evolved to meet the needs of our Members. This is an exciting next step in our evolution to support our existing Members and grow our membership-base. “Our loan origination and loan processing teams, under Chief Member Officer Matthew Dunnill and Chief Operations Officer Felicity Laczina respectively, are the engine room at The Mutual Bank and continue to grow in numbers. “They are thrilled with this new solution that creates efficiencies allowing them to focus on what they do best, serving our Members. Both hailing from the Hunter, Matthew and Felicity brought extensive retail banking knowledge and experience to The Mutual Bank when they were appointed in 2022. Matthew has more than 25 years of experience in mutual and major banks. Felicity has more than 15 years of experience in the customer-owned banking sector, including more than six years as an executive at another local financial institution. The Mutual Bank’s digital lending channel service provider, Nimo Industries, recently won a 2024 FinTech award for Excellence in Consumer Lending. “Collaborating with The Mutual Bank has been an absolute pleasure,” Nimo Industries Chief Executive Officer Leann Jones said. “Their dedication to their Members, commitment to excellence and focus on member satisfaction perfectly align with our values.” Learn more about our home loans and personal loans.  

The Mutual Bank is proud to support Privacy Awareness Week which runs from 6 to 12 May 2024. Led by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) the week provides a great opportunity to consider what you can do to ‘power up’ privacy. With a few simple actions you can make things safer for you and the people close to you. This year’s theme focuses on privacy and technology and the key principles of transparency, accountability, and security – but what do these principles mean in practice? Transparency: If you are asked to provide your personal information or consent, think about privacy. What is being asked for, and how will it be used? Accountability: Our personal data captures who we are – the requirements for protecting it should be high. Expect accountability from organisations that hold this information. You can learn more about how The Mutual Bank deals with and protects your personal information by reading our Privacy Policy. Security: The best thing you can do for your personal information security is to be mindful, and informed. Know your options, understand the technology you are using, and think before you act. We take the security of our Members’ accounts and information seriously. Learn more about how we protect you and advice on how to identify scams on our Security & Fraud page. Privacy tips to help keep your personal information safe: Protect your data by looking at what information your devices and apps hold and can access and review these permissions. Check and consider credentials. This means both looking out for scammers and considering an organisation’s reliability before you hand over your information. Have strong and varied passphrases and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) if it is available. More information on The Mutual Bank’s online security measures can be found Be socially savvy – watch what you share on social media, and check your privacy settings on your account. For example, you can now lock your Facebook profile so it is not visible to strangers. Do regular ‘health checks’ on any accounts with access to your finances. Visit the Privacy Awareness Week website to find out more: paw.gov.au.

Maitland Taste, the city's premier culinary event celebrating locally sourced food and wines from the Hunter Valley and beyond, is returning to The Levee for a three-day extravaganza. Proudly sponsored by The Mutual Bank, Maitland Taste will run from Friday 17 May to Sunday 19 May and visitors will be treated to an unforgettable gastronomic experience featuring the finest local produce, cooking demonstrations by talented chefs and a host of family friendly activities. ‘We have loved being a part of such a fantastic showcase of the best of the Hunter Valley’s produce, and we are looking forward to some of the amazing events on the program,” The Mutual Bank CEO Mark Williams said. ‘There truly is something for all the family at this three-day event from cooking demonstrations to live music and kids’ activities, and of course, the gourmet food, food trucks and pop up eateries in the Levee.” From aromatic wines to the freshest farm to table produce, Maitland Taste celebrates our diverse landscape, offering three days of events, demonstrations and pop ups, according to Coordinator of City Events and Activation, Adam Franks. “Maitland Taste is not just about food; it's about bringing our community together to celebrate all the flavours and talents that Maitland has to offer,” said Mr Franks. As well as activities at The Levee, visitors can explore various specialty themed pop-up sites across Central Maitland, each offering unique and tantalising experiences. For more information about Maitland Taste proudly presented by The Mutual Bank, visit maitlandtaste.com.au.

The Mutual Bank has once again dipped its toe into the community pool it serves to sponsor the High Schools Team Challenge at Surfest. It is the second year running the Hunter-based bank has sponsored the event, which showcases up and coming junior surfers in a team event. Preparations are well underway for the exciting surfing action featuring high school students from across NSW, to be held at South Bar Beach on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 March 2024. Being owned by its members means The Mutual Bank can invest its profits back into better products and services for its Members and support the community through sponsorship. The Mutual Bank’s Chief Member Officer, Matthew Dunnill, said sponsoring the High Schools Teams Challenge at Surfest was the perfect opportunity for The Mutual Bank to achieve its goal of helping people thrive. “The Mutual Bank High Schools Team Challenge is a great opportunity for young, surfers to showcase their talent, with a focus on teamwork,” he said. “This is invaluable experience for these young surfers, both in and out of the water, and it’s an exciting show to watch.” Surfest is celebrating its 38th anniversary this year. The event is the largest surfing festival in the Southern Hemisphere. You can learn more about The Mutual Bank High Schools Teams Challenge as part of Surfest 2024 here.

For the second year running, The Mutual Bank’s Budget Home Loan* has won a Mozo Experts Choice Home Loan Award in the Low Cost Home Loan award category. The win follows the news earlier this month that The Mutual Bank’s Budget Home Loan was named one of the best refinance home loans in the market with a 2024 RateCity Gold Award. The Mozo Experts Choice Awards have been helping consumers make informed purchase decisions for the past 10 years and their extensive award selection process evaluates thousands of products. For the Low Cost Home Loan category the Mozo judges assessed 270 variable rate loans for owner-occupier borrowers, making principal and interest repayments, and identified these as the lowest cost for several different loan-to-value ratios. The Mutual Bank’s CEO, Mark Williams, said the double win for the Budget Home Loan was fantastic news for the Hunter-based bank. “Our commitment to offer competitive products has been recognised with these two awards, and that recognition highlights our commitment to helping people thrive,” he said. “We know the cost-of-living pressure means people are looking to trim their budgets where they can, and our Budget Home Loan has been consistently popular with home buyers looking for a no-frills home loan with a low, variable interest rate.” Mozo Experts Choice Awards Judge Peter Marshall said when it comes to choosing a home loan, key factors that people look for are competitive rates, low fees and a lender they can trust. “The Mutual Bank has demonstrated that it delivers on all three fronts,” he said. “This is the second year running that the Budget Home Loan has taken out a coveted award in the low cost home loan category, and is to be congratulated on this achievement. “These awards were designed to showcase the products in the market that deliver best value and The Mutual Bank is a great example of a small member-owned challenger competing with the big guys.” * The Mozo Experts Choice Low Cost Home Loan award was awarded to The Mutual Bank’s Budget Home Loan Special Variable Rate for owner occupied loans with ≤80% LVR and Principal and Interest repayments. Eligibility and lending criteria, terms, conditions, fees and charges apply and are available on application.