The closure of New Germany’s only bank has caught the attention of Lunenburg’s PC candidate.
Susan Corkum-Greek has put out a call for RBC to reverse their decision to close their location in the community, citing the loss of personal banking and economic activity in the community
Corkum-Greek said she has reached out to both RBC’s CEO and Atlantic region president to discuss the impacts of closing the bank.
“I certainly don’t expect that I can just place a call and expect to get through to the president,” she said, “But I am going to continue to follow up, and I encourage residents and customers of RBC to do the same.”
Understanding why the bank is closing down, Corkum-Greek suggests they look at how to operate in a different, more efficient manner, whether that be working on reduced hours, staffing less agents or even reopening in an auxiliary unit within one of New Germany’s businesses.
She worries the closure will cause issues for businesses and residents of the community and surrounding communities, who will need to travel the roughly 20 minutes from New Germany to Bridgewater in order to get change for tills, transfer money between accounts or make a deposit.
“The truth is, the closure of the Royal Bank branch in New Germany has the ability to really undermine businesses and services that we think of as being essential,” she said.
However, Corkum-Greek does applaud action by the New Germany Area Promotions Society, who reached out to LaHave Credit Union to hold a few meet and greet days in the community to gauge interest.
The move is reminiscent of what she experienced in Riverport when the local BMO branch was shut down, she said.
“At the time, customers were encouraged to visit branches in Lunenburg and Bridgewater, which didn’t seem like so far away to drive,” she said.
“As a result, any talk of a Credit Union was just that – talk.”
Since then, the Lunenburg branch has also shut down.
While she doesn’t expect her actions alone will make a difference, she said the residents of New Germany have every right to voice their concerns with the bank’s closure and how it will affect them.
RBC in New Germany is set to shut down July 16th.
