As the COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation continues to evolve, I thought it timely to reassure all AWA Alliance Bank’s members by informing you of the steps we are taking to ensure the health and wellbeing of our members and employees. 

We are committed to ensuring that we take every precaution to keep our members and employees safe during these challenging times.

Maintaining member service

First up, it’s business as usual. We are here for you and our branches remain open. 

We do not expect any disruption to ongoing banking services provided through online banking, our mobile banking app, Google or Apple pay or phone banking. If you do not currently have access to these remote banking services or you do not have a plastic card to access your account we recommend that you contact us on : 1300 056 953 or email us at :  for assistance with the setup of these services.

Coronavirus Assistance Packages

AWA has a range of assistance measures to ensure short and long-term support for business and consumer members affected by the pandemic. 

The following financial assistance package is available for all affected AWA members:

• Home Loan and Business Loan members can request a repayment moratorium on loans for up to six months
• Waiver of interest rate reduction for early withdrawals on term deposits prior to maturity
• Deferral of payments and extensions for Equipment Finance on a case-by-case basis 

We encourage all members who are impacted by this virus to speak to one of our staff on 1300 056 953 if they are in need of assistance.

Protecting our business operations

At this stage it’s business as usual at AWA, but like all businesses, we anticipate our branch operations will continue to be challenged over the next few weeks and months.

To date the measures we have implemented include, but are not limited to: 

• The display of information and posters in each branch, including an outline of hygiene best practice to help limit the spread of the virus.
• Daily cleaning of our centres and workspaces to a higher standard.
• Regular communication with employees in an attempt to minimise the risk of infection.
• Ongoing testing of our banking systems and procedures to ensure resilience in the face of any business interruption that may occur.
• Ongoing testing of our remote working infrastructure, including the possible introduction of remote working practices for employees where appropriate.
• Reducing face-to-face meetings and increasing the capacity for employees to hold internal and external meetings via video or telephone conferencing.
• Working with our Partner, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, to leverage their resources.
• Reducing risk to our members and community
• Our Business Continuity Plan includes measures to maintain our services to you should we need to implement isolation policies or close a branch for a period of time. 

If you are showing coronavirus symptoms, or are suspected of having been exposed to the virus, we respectfully ask that you do not visit our branches until your self-isolation period has passed or you have been confirmed as virus free.

Economic Factors

As a business AWA is soundly placed to work through the challenging times ahead with our exceptionally high levels of capital and our partnership with Bendigo and Adelaide Bank.

On 19 March 2020 the Reserve Bank Governor, Philip Lowe issued a Press Release that included the following statement – “Australia's financial system is resilient and well placed to deal with the effects of the coronavirus. The banking system is well capitalised and is in a strong liquidity position. Substantial financial buffers are available to be drawn down if required to support the economy. The Reserve Bank is working closely with the other financial regulators and the Australian Government to help ensure that Australia's financial markets continue to operate effectively and that credit is available to households and businesses.”

APRA (Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority) also issued a statement strongly supporting the strength of the Australian banking system on the same day.

As we continue to learn about coronavirus and the impact on our communities, we feel it is important to take a calm and balanced approach to protect and manage the impact on our employees, members and business. We will continue to provide you with regular updates as deemed appropriate as the situation evolves.

Rest assured we are committed to your ongoing health and wellbeing and minimising any disruption to our services.

Thank you for being part of the AWA community.