Berry community celebrates as Horizon Bank to open a branch

Berry has been bankless since its National Australia Bank branch closed in May last year.

Berry Chamber of Commerce and Tourism president Kate Dezarnaulds said Horizon's announcement would be welcomed by the whole community, as Berry had been "very short of options when it comes to banking".

She said having no bank in the town had been a particular challenge for sole business operators, the elderly and people with accessibility issues.

"When you start seeing essential services disappear from a town it sends a message to the world that this is a place in retreat and that's absolutely not the case, so we need a bank," Ms Dezarnaulds said.

While society was becoming increasingly cashless, the regular tourist influxes to Berry meant telecommunications systems were swamped "with remarkable frequency", Ms Dezarnaulds said.

She said the internet coverage was "patchwork and very vulnerable at times of peak visitation, and so for businesses in town to know they can take, receive and handle cash when their ability to run EFTPOS machines disappears is a great relief."

Ms Dezarnaulds was also impressed that Horizon was a community bank that kept profits in the community, and had expressed a desire to become involved with the Chamber of Commerce and community events.

"It's a breath of fresh air when you've been dealing with our big four [banks] for so long," she said.

The Horizon announcement came "out of the blue", Ms Dezarnauldsaid, and was "great news".

READ MORE:

"Whilst many of our competing banks are choosing to close regional branches, Horizon continues to see strong opportunities and potential in locations such as Berry," said Horizon chair, Mark Crowther.

"When it comes to important banking decisions and questions, the majority of people still appreciate the ability to have a face-to-face conversation with a real person.

"Horizon also provides customers with the ability to phone their local branch, so that if you're a customer in Berry, you can talk to your local Berry branch, not a call centre somewhere else in Australia or overseas," he said.

The new Berry branch will be located in Broughton Walk and feature a 24-hour ATM.

"Horizon also offers the convenience of online, mobile and other tech facilities expected of a progressive bank" Mr Crowther said.