Media Release

St.George Bank is today reminding customers that it has a Disaster Relief Package available to customers suffering hardship from bushfires across Northern New South Wales and South East Queensland.

General Manager for St.George Bank, Ross Miller said the Disaster Relief Package offers immediate practical help to assist customers to manage the impact of the bushfires on their finances.

“Our thoughts are with those impacted by these devastating bushfires and we’d like to thank the amazing firefighters and volunteers who have been continuing to support the community during ongoing and difficult times.

“We understand that times like these can be extremely hard - emotionally, physically and financially. By offering support to our customers, we hope to help alleviate any concern they have with their financial commitments so that they can concentrate on more important issues at hand.

“I encourage all affected customers to contact their local St.George Bank Manager as soon as possible to discuss their circumstances and the financial relief available,” Mr Miller said.

The Disaster Relief Package offers the following assistance:

• Affected customers with St.George home loans may apply to defer repayments for up to three months.
• Affected businesses with existing loans can request loan restructuring without incurring the usual bank establishment fees.
• Affected credit card customers may apply to defer repayments to their card for up to 90 days.
• Customers wishing to purchase replacement goods may apply for a personal loan at a discounted interest rate with no establishment fee.
• St.George will waive interest rate adjustments for affected customers wishing to withdraw term deposits.
• Customers experiencing severe hardship may also be offered a halt on all interest accrual on unsecured credit products for a period of up to three months.

St.George customers who wish to utilise these special relief measures or need assistance should contact St.George Assist on  1800 629 795, or alternatively call their local Branch Manager.

Insurance customers
All affected customers should contact us on 1300 655 489 so we can assist with temporary accommodation and emergency funds. Claims can be lodged 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling this number.

Media enquiries

Penny Mahon, St.George Bank
mahonp@stgeorge.com.au
0434 185 590