‘Ghost town’: Residents in Sydney suburb blindsided by CBA’s decision to close bank branch
Exclusive: Residents of a historic Sydney suburb have been left blindsided after Australia’s largest bank announced it will close another local branch next month.
Commonwealth Bank has informed customers that its branch on Argyle Street in Camden in Sydney’s south-west is permanently shutting its doors on August 21.
CBA will close its Camden branch from August 21. Google Maps
Camden locals will need to travel to the next suburb over in Narellan to access CBA or bank at Camden Post Office by using its Bank@Post service.
The ATMs inside the CBA Camden branch will no longer be available from this date too.
The impending closure comes as a blow to many long-time Camden residents, among them several loyal CBA customers who have been banking with the branch for decades.
Camden local Sharon Rideout is vision impaired and regularly uses the CBA branch to do her banking.
After it closes, she will need to take the bus to Narellan for her nearest branch.
“I rely on the ATM as I am legally blind we are very limited with ATMs in Camden due to my vision loss,” Rideout told nine.com.au.
“The Commonwealth [Bank] was one I was able to use, so quite an inconvenience due to my vision, I am obviously unable to drive.”
Rideout is considering switching banks over the inconvenience.
“I’m sure our town will be affected especially with a lot of older people in our community,” she added.
“I’m not happy about the Commonwealth Bank branch closing in Camden. I do my shopping and business in Camden because I live in Camden,” fellow Camden resident Marilyn said.
“To go to Narellan.... it’s not convenient. I like to deal with people rather than online, even though I’m computer-literate.”
Marilyn said vulnerable members of the Camden community who bank with CBA will be impacted the most by the closure.
“There are many elderly, disabled, disadvantaged & people who use English as a second language in Camden who are not computer-literate so will be unable to do business online and would prefer to speak to a person face-to-face,” she added.
“Public transport is not convenient to other branches. If they provided a shopfront with reduced hours it would be better than nothing.”
Physical bank branches have all but disappeared in Camden.
NAB closed its long-standing Camden branch in 2023 after the bank ended its lease in a heritage-listed building.
St George also shut its standalone branch 2022, while Westpac closed in 2020.
All that remains is an IMB Bank and Mac Credit Union branch.
Most of the bank branches which have closed in Camden are available in nearby Narellan, which is around four kilometres away.
There are also CBA branches in Oran Park, Macarthur Square and Campbelltown
Locals say their once-bustling suburb is slowly losing crucial amenities.
“[I] feel for the very elderly that don’t know how to bank online,” one person said in a Camden Facebook group.
“Camden is slowly turning into a ghost town, it’s a shame,” another added.
Commonwealth Bank confirmed the bank will be closed from August 21 and said it began notifying customers last week.
“Our Narellan, Oran Park, Macarthur Square and Campbelltown branches are popular banking centres for the Macarthur community, and as a result we’ve invested more than $2.2 million to expand our services for customers in the area,” CBA McArthur Area Manager Matthew Sissian told nine.com.au.
“These are larger branches, with more staff at each location, including home lending specialists, business bankers, and access to convenient self-service technology.
“We remain committed to maintaining the largest branch network in the country and warmly welcome our Camden customers to our nearby branches.”
The historic suburb has become a graveyard of abandoned bank branches. NSW Government
Federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, who is also the member for Hume which covers Camden, told nine.com.au it was “disappointing” to see another local bank branch close.
“The branch is an important service for local businesses, older residents, and people who rely on face-to-face banking,” Taylor said.
“While many people bank online, not everyone can or wants to.
“I will be speaking directly with the Commonwealth Bank CEO to raise the community’s concerns and urge the bank to do everything possible to minimise the impact of this decision.”
Nine.com.au has also contacted the Greater Narellan Business Chamber for comment.
Commonwealth Bank has progressively shut physical branches around the country, with dozens of closures over the past three years.
CBA’s branch in Balmain in Sydney’s Inner West closed in March and the bank shut its physical storefronts in Belmont and Lara in Victoria last month.
The bank has committed to keeping regional banks open until at least July 31, 2027.
According to the RBI Alliance, nearly 900 regional banks have closed across Australia since 2017.
“This has left so many communities not just without a branch but has stripped main streets of the infrastructure and traffic that helps towns thrive,” the RBI Alliance said in a statement.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
