Designed to support the vital work of charitable and not-for-profit organisations, our Community First Account does exactly that — it puts the community first. An account tailored to the needs of community-based organisations, groups and associations, there are no monthly fees, no minimum balance requirements, and real-time easy access at the click of a button. This banking solution also gives you the peace of mind that your money is protected by the Federal Government Guarantee.

There are no monthly fees or transaction charges, and no minimum balance requirements, for our Community First Account.

We make it as quick and easy as possible to get started. To open a Community First Account, we just need a few essentials including: your Business Registration Certificate or Certificate of Incorporation, as well as some ID for the awesome people running the show. If you’re not sure how to get started, our friendly local team is always here to help.

The good news is that there’s no minimum balance requirement for our Community First Account. Get started with any amount, and enjoy the flexibility of managing your finances your way, without the stress of maintaining a certain balance.

Absolutely, you can have multiple signatories on the account. This feature is especially handy for organisations or groups where more than one person needs access to manage the finances. Adding multiple signatories offers flexibility and ensures that you can efficiently carry out transactions even when someone is unavailable. Getting set up is straightforward, and our friendly team is always here to guide you through the process.

Sure can! Connect easily with popular fundraising platforms or tools to help you manage donations. There are also user-friendly financial reporting options designed to help you with budgeting, grant applications, and ensuring transparency for stakeholders.

Alongside supporting community events, we proudly curate and host a variety of free events to boost our region’s financial literacy, wealth and wellbeing, as well as fundraisers to support local businesses and community groups. Find out what’s coming up.

Events are a critical way to stay connected to your local community and break down barriers of social isolation. From Budgeting 101 to Managing Your Business Cash Flow, our events are designed to offer practical tips and expert advice that you can put to good use straight away. Whether you are just beginning on your financial journey or looking to upskill and add to your knowledge in a particular area, we would love to see you at an upcoming event near you. Find out what’s coming up.

While we prioritise promoting events that are free and accessible to the local community, some events are ticketed or are organised for fundraising purposes. We encourage you to reach out to event organisers if the cost is not listed.

While most of the world lives on Zoom these days, we still love the feeling of face-to-face events, when safe to do so. However, in the coming months, we will be trialling a series of web conferences or digital broadcast events to increase their reach in the community.

If you have an upcoming event that you think the Summerland Bank customers and community would like to know about, please send us an email with the relevant details to info@summerland.com.au

Encompassing the world-renowned beaches of Byron Bay, the ancient rainforests of Nightcap National Park, and the picturesque hinterland towns like Lismore and Ballina, this region offers a unique mix of coastal and country landscapes quite unlike anywhere else in the world.

Beyond our geography, we believe this community is unique — with its own needs, challenges to overcome, and triumphs to celebrate. We embrace it all, from the waterways, to the wildlife, the weird, and the wonderful. Want to see what’s on around the region? Visit our Community Events page.

As part of our commitment to being visible and contributing members of the local community, we offer in-branch banking across the region, employment for 100+ staff, and support local businesses, charities, clubs, and community associations in the region. Find out more about vacancies to join the team.

Summerland Bank is customer-owned. That means, unlike the major banks, our profits don’t go to external shareholders. Instead, they are returned to our members in the form of better interest rates, lower fees, quality customer service, and meaningful investment into our region. Read our Customer-Owned Banking Code of Practice.

Joining a local and customer-owned bank like Summerland has never been easier, nor more important. Because in a world that seems to be increasingly focused on helping yourself, we will never stop helping others, and supporting our local community.

A thriving local economy is central to our vision and benchmark for success. As a customer-owned bank, we are dedicated to better banking, stronger communities, and going beyond the traditional definition of what a bank ‘should be’. Find out more about our approach to braver banking.

While it depends on your definition of ‘better’, we believe that customer-owned banking represents the perfect blend of good old-fashioned customer service and the future of banking, where power is returned to communities.

We pride ourselves on offering more of what our customers want through a range of innovative, tailored and eco-friendly products that support you to realise your potential and build long-term financial freedom. And because we don’t have shareholders, any profits and savings are passed directly on to customers.

At Summerland Bank, we’re committed to empowering our community with resources and support for effective disaster preparedness. Time and again, whether we are faced with raging floods, devastating bushfires, or other challenges, this community comes together with a resilience, strength and deep-rooted commitment to being there for one another.

From financial readiness and having a small amount of cash on hand to safeguarding essential documents, including insurance policies, identification, and banking details, there are ways we can help expedite recovery and maintain access to emergency services and funds. And it’s always a great idea to safeguard critical financial documents in a waterproof container, and have digital backups stored securely in the cloud or a portable drive.

We leave no stone unturned to support our local community. Whether it’s waiving fees, deferring payments or switching products, there are plenty of ways we can help you through a tough time. Reach out for support.

There are a number of things we can do to support you through an emergency. And while we don’t provide disaster relief payments, we can provide information and referrals to a range of local programs and organisations ready to help. Find out more.

Sometimes it can be hard to know how much we’re struggling until it’s too late. Some possible signs of financial hardship and money distress to look out for include: continually missing payments, overdrawn accounts, debt is spiralling out of control without a clear plan for repayment, relying on short-term or ‘payday’ loans to get you by, and increasingly feeling worried or stressed about money. Learn more about the signs of financial hardship.

Times can be tough, often for reasons beyond our control. Possible reasons for financial hardship, include:

• Unemployment or redundancy
• Reduced working hours or financial downturn
• Injury, illness or accidents
• Divorce or separation
• Death in the family or community
• Natural disaster like flood, fire or storm damage
• Significant rise in cost of living
• Misguided investment or financial choice, inc. phishing or advance-fee scams

If you are experiencing financial difficulty, it’s important to reach out as soon as you can on 1300 802 222 or schedule a free callback.

Summerland Bank offers a range of support programs, tailored solutions, and dedicated assistance for our community when they hit rough times. We encourage you to reach out early, so we can help get you back on your feet faster. Here are some of the things we can do:

• Reduce or defer repayments
• Extend your loan terms
• Waive fees and penalties
• Switch your product
• Make a financial counselling referral

If you are experiencing financial difficulty, it’s important to reach out as soon as you can on 1300 802 222 or schedule a free callback.

We want to make the process of applying for assistance as straightforward as possible, so you can access the support you need. Begin our simple three-step application process.