December 2007 Cover Story

Westpac has invested over $3 million in their new Retail and Business Banking Centres at Fountain Plaza, Erina which opened in mid November.

The move is a further vote of confidence in Erina as a banking and finance centre, particularly for the business sector.
Westpac’s team of specialist business bankers on the Central Coast will be based at the Erina Business Banking Centre
Gerard O’Hearn, Head of the Westpac Business Banking Centre, said the Bank saw the Central Coast as a small business hub and growth centre.
“We believe the growth industries for the Central Coast are in the service, hospitality and retail areas where we’ve already seen some good results,” he said. “By opening a specialist Business Banking Centre, Westpac will provide small businesses with local advice to help them develop and grow their businesses. Our focus is on positioning ourselves where businesses need us most.
“We’ve brought our banking specialists, credit and support teams under one roof and that means faster decisions by people who know the local area and the issues that impact Central Coast businesses. For customers it means faster turnarounds
on loan and credit applications and access to specialist advice. "In the next few months, we will increase the number of banking staff working out of Erina, allowing them to spend more time with their customers and enabling more decisions to be made at a local level.”
The new centre covers businesses from north of the Hawkesbury River to Morisset. Erina is part of Westpac’s National investment in new business banking centres with 12 new centres or major refurbishments to existing centres nationwide in 2007.
The new building will be opened by Gosford Council’s Businessman of the Year, Ron Sharpe. Mr Sharpe’s company - Sharpe Bros - has been a customer of Westpac for over 40 years.
Three of the Big Four banks now have their regional business banking centres centred around the Fountain Plaza/Platinum Precinct at Erina. They are ANZ, nab and Westpac. Also within the precinct retail branches of ANZ, nab, Commonwealth, Westpac and Bank of Queensland. Financiers include; Balmain Commercial, Smartline, Wizard, CCFM and Mortgage Choice.

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