I don't know what kind of initiative they have in place at Westpac in Balmain, but whatever it is,…read moreit's working. The girls that work there are always smiling, always happy, and are either fantastic actors or genuinely love their jobs. Even when promted by customers to say a bad word (overheard: "So, is ____ a terrible boss to work for?"), the girls insist that it's a fantastic work environment, and it's hard not to believe them. Proudly displaying their support for local businesses in any which way they can, it really feels like Balmain Westpac is trying hard to become your local. And with the shop dotted by kids drawings, their reasonably efficient service and the tellers' ability to call you by name after a quick glance at your details, they might just succeed.

I never thought I'd say it about a bank but yes, I'm a fan of HSBC Bondi Junction. Everything about…read morethe experience of banking with them is excellent. In fact they are the absolute opposite of all the things I usually associate with banks. For me the experience of banks had always been long queues, rude and unhelpful staff and fees, fees, fees. While HSBC Bondi Junction is always a relatively quiet branch, or at least it is every time I've gone in, the queues if there are any are one or two people maximum. The service is efficient and the staff are friendly, helpful and extremely polite. I opened an online savings account with them and I pay absolutely no fees. None, zero, zilch. No matter how many times I withdraw money from atms, or pay by etfpos there are no fees. HSBC is the opposite of everything I associate with banks and I love them for it.

Landed as an immigrant to Aus so I first had to activate my account before it could actually be…read moreused. When we showed up for our appointment we were told that the person assigned to us was transferred the week before to another branch. Since all cards and details were sent there, we had to go to his branch. At this point I could honestly say I was seriously doubtful that NAB and us would have a good working relationship. Fortunately, when we arrived, we were helped by friendly, knowledgeable staff. Thus, despite the small hiccup in the beginning, I feel confident NAB provides good customer care.

Pharmacy/ cafes/ food stalls(all under the shelter) all within the vicinity of the buidling…read more There is even a cafe on the ground floor! Perfect for employees who want a cuppa but do not want to leave the building :) (I havent tried the coffee there, so cant comment on that)

Good pace for credit card and loans and moreread more

Recently stayed in the area. FX had AUD.USD trading around 0.78. Red Rate was about 0.80. Local…read morebanks were about .81. Bank of America back home was about 0.82. You can tell the rate should be good because it's a no frills hole in the wall. I called ahead to get a quote and they had the money waiting when I stopped in.

Who honestly enjoys going to the bank?? Most of time you end up standing in a long queue under…read moreflorescent lightening just in order for someone to tell you that, indeed, you're pretty darn broke. Commonwealth has not provided me with the best experience in general, but the staff at the Glebe branch is the single redeeming factor in my overall banking experience. The information desk became my best friend early on when I was urgently trying to figure out how to wire money between my Bank of America account and Commonwealth account. Seemingly one's own money should be accessible where ever he or she happens to be in the world, right? But because these sorts of things are never as easy as they should be, I stuffed up and ended up costing myself nearly two hundred dollars in processing fees. NOT IDEAL. The staff there at the Glebe branch helped me every step of the way thereafter, and though there was nothing they could do about my previous loss (occurred on the American end), they advised me of the best options moving forward. After the third time I went in, the manager knew my name and was always more than happy to answer all my questions. I was even permitted to come behind the counter in order to use their computer for online banking instead of having to pay the processing fees associated if the teller were to help. Here's to the customer service aficionados who work hard to smooth out the Commonwealth bumps. Keep treading water, guys... maybe at some point it will pay off!

My husband got trapped into some financial mess 3 years back. That started hounding us as we were…read morenot able to get any loans from financial institutions despite having a stable income from his current job. Everyone were citing the bad credit line remark while rejecting the loan. Thanks to Matt who introduced us to these guys. We were blown away by the speed and professionalism. We got the papers signed and got the loan in a flash. If you are struggling with your bad credit history this is one of the best option for you. Great service. Keep it up.

This is actually where I decided to open up my bank account out of all the Commonwealth Bank…read morebranches. The branch is also located in a central location on George Street. From day one itself I loved this branch. The staff is really welcoming, extremely friendly, courteous and also efficient. However as the branch handles a lot of customers it can also get really crowded and queues could be really lengthy. As the branch is not that large, it could also look quite crowded. One of my favourite features of this bank is the automatic cash deposit machine which is real time. Also another good feature is the coin counter. Take heaps of coins you have collected over time and get it counted by the machine which is located inside. You can get cash from the teller or if you are an account holder can get it deposited to your account. However, if you are not an account holder, this comes at an expense. Anyways what do banks do free of charge? However I still find it really handy to get rid off my coins. However all in all I'm highly satisfied with this bank and recommend it to anyone to go ahead to set up their account or carry out any financial transactions.