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The Mutual Bank is excited to announce its continued sponsorship of the High School Teams Challenge in the lead up to Newcastle Surfest. The teams challenge taking place on Thursday, 8 May and Friday, 9 May 2025 at South Bar Beach and draws talented young surfers from across the state. Open exclusively to NSW high schools, the competition features both boys’ and girls’ divisions, with teams of up to five surfers. The event provides a fantastic platform for young surfers to showcase their skills and teamwork – all at the start of the internationally renowned Surfest competition to be held in June. Surfest sees some of the world’s best up-and-coming surfers descend on the iconic surf break of Merewether in Newcastle as they look to qualify for the 2026 Championship Tour (CT) as Newcastle hosts the first event of the 2025 WSL Challenger Series. Matthew Dunnill, Chief Member Officer at The Mutual Bank, said the teams challenge surfing event was always a highlight on the Hunter-based bank’s sponsorship calendar. “The Mutual Bank High School Teams Challenge is a great opportunity for young surfers to gain invaluable experience and demonstrate their talent,” he said “We are proud to support an event that aligns with our commitment to helping people thrive.” There is no entry fee for the event and prizes will be awarded to schools that reach the final, with the format to include two non-elimination rounds before the knockout rounds begin. Each team can have a maximum of 5 surfers with only 3 surfers competing in each heat. Surfest is the largest surfing festival in the Southern Hemisphere, bringing together amateur and professional surfers for 17 days of thrilling competition.

In 2025, the United Nations declared a second International Year of Cooperatives to recognise the global impact of three million member-owned businesses.  The Mutual Bank’s business model, as a customer-owned bank that was established in 1888 to serve the Maitland and Hunter Valley communities, means that we form part of the 750 co-ops and mutuals serving NSW.  On Wednesday 19 March, our Chair of the Board Steve Meyn and CEO Mark Williams attended a function at NSW Parliament House to launch the International Year of Cooperatives and celebrate the contribution of co-operatives and mutuals to the NSW community and economy.    “The merits of the customer-owned banking business model remain as relevant today as they ever were,” said Mark.  “The Mutual Bank's legacy is built on the values of integrity, respect and care and the focus of our organisation is to continue to champion financial wellbeing for our Members and our regional communities.”  Mark said despite a range of challenges in its 137-year history, The Mutual Bank has consistently offered strength, security and stability to its Members and the local community.  By continuously investing in local initiatives and pricing essential support to various community groups, we not only strengthen our financial services but also foster a sense of unity and resilience in region.    Amid corporate volatility, The Mutual Bank showcases stability, innovation and success, proving business can be both profitable and principled.  We have also taken part in the Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals Icons Campaign, sharing our story. You can read it here: https://iyc2025.bccm.coop/the-mutual-bank-helping-the-community-thrive-since-1888/  We thank all our loyal Members for their ongoing support and loyalty and as we have done over our history, The Mutual Bank will continue to evolve to meet the needs of our Members and communities.   

While the Paralympics were in full swing in Paris, we had the chance to cheer on our own athletes right here in the Hunter. The Mutual Bank was thrilled to partner with Active Inclusive and Good Shepherd Support Services for a special Disability Community Day on Wednesday September 4. The day was designed to allow people living with a disability to come together and enjoy a day of fun whilst participating in some sporting activities. Around 200 participants took part in the event at No. 2 Sportsground in Newcastle, taking part in some fun events along with sports such as golf and touch football. The event was free for participants and included: A free barbecue and drinks for competitors Zumba Dance Sessions by Healthy Change Challenge Facepainting Sports round robin Appearance by some of the Newcastle Knights Face Painting Lucky door prizes, raffles Craft stations Certificate ceremony Proceeds from the day support the Susan Roskell Toy Drive and the Sione Foundation.

Scams are on the rise, and we want to help arm you with some information to help stop and shut down scammers. During Scams Awareness Week, from 26-30 August, we are encouraging our Members and the community to learn more about scams, speak up, share and report scams to help others. This year’s theme for Scams Awareness Week is “Share a story, stop a scam.” It’s about helping others to spot and then steer clear of these digital deceivers. You’re invited to join us at our community events in branch and at Stockland Green Hills during Scams Awareness Week. Share a cuppa and a cupcake with our Financial Crimes Team at your local branch as we talk all things scam related  - what to look out for, the common scams and trends they see and importantly, how to spot and avoid them. Our compassionate Financial Crimes supports our Members impacted by scams and you may be surprised to learn you are not alone, if you have been a victim or have had a close call with a scammer. Along with the Little Black Book of Scams the bank will also have its popular ‘be scam aware’ fridge magnets to give away, which have a handy checklist to run through when you receive a suspicious phone call to help you spot scam calls. Please join us: Monday 26 August at East Maitland Branch from 9-11am Tuesday 27 August at Dungog Branch from 9-11am Tuesday 27 August at Raymond Terrace Branch from 2-4pm Wednesday 28 August at Maitland Branch from 9.30-11.30am Thursday 29 August at Mayfield Branch from 9am-11am Thursday 29 August at Edgeworth Branch from 2pm-4pm Friday 30 August at Rutherford Branch 9am-11am Cupcakes will be available to the first 50 people at each event. You can also catch the team at Stockland Green Hills Shopping Centre, just outside Coles, from Tuesday 27 August to Thursday 29 August. We will also be talking scams with the wider community at Stockland Green Hills Shopping Centre (out the front of Coles) from Tuesday 27 August to Thursday 29 August. By learning more about common scams and by sharing our experiences, we can keep our community be scam aware. We can’t wait to see you! Please remember: to avoid being part of a scam, you can take three key actions – Stop, Check and Report. Stop: Don’t give money or personal information to anyone. Scammers will offer to help you or ask you to verify who you are. They will pretend to be from organisations you know and trust like service providers, the police, your bank or government services. Check: Ask yourself could the message or call be fake? Never click a link in an unknown message. Only contact businesses or government using contact information that you find yourself from their official website. If you’re not sure, say ‘no’, hang up or delete. Report: Act quickly if something feels wrong. Contact your bank if you notice unusual activity or if a scammer gets your money or information. Seek help and report the scam to Report Cyber and Scamwatch. When you report scams, you help all Australians by building our defence against scams.

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  

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.