Following the government’s “circuit-breaker” measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, OCBC Bank will be temporarily closing 22 of its Singapore branches from April 9 to May 4 as it foresees reduced traffic.
The branches that will be closed are: Bishan, Bukit Batok, Bukit Panjang, City Square Mall, Holland Village, Hougang, Jurong West, Kallang Wave Premier, Marina Bay Financial Centre, North, NTU, NUS, Parkway Parade Premier, Paya Lebar Square, Serangoon Garden, SMU, Sun Plaza, Suntec City, Ubi, United Square, White Sands and Woodlands.
Despite the closure, the bank’s network of 1,200 ATMs — which includes the shared ATM network with UOB Bank — as well as its digital banking solutions such as digital payments, will continue to be fully operational.
OCBC Bank’s next-generation ATMs, which were rolled out in 2018 and are now available at 23 branches, are able to function as “mini branches” and can perform 80 per cent of the most-frequently requested over-the-counter services such as cash deposits, cash withdrawals above daily limits, updating customers’ personal details as well as account- and card-related requests.
From March 2020, OCBC Bank cash cheques can also be instantly encashed at these ATMs. This caters largely to the needs of SMEs.
List Of OCBC Branches That Will Remain Open
To ensure that there will be at least one branch open in the proximity of every neighbourhood town centre, 24 branches will remain open, including all 19 branches that offer Sunday Banking services.
All of its five branches with Safe Deposit Boxes – Centre Branch, Thomson Branch, Sixth Avenue Branch, Ang Mo Kio Branch and Bedok North Branch – will also remain open to allow customers to access their personal items and documents kept in these boxes.
The Trade Service Centres at OCBC Centre South and OCBC Tampines Centre 2 will also remain open.
The full range of banking services will continue to be available at the 24 branches that are open, and there is also no change in the branch banking hours.
“Our customers can be assured that, even with the temporary closure of these branches, we will ensure that we are able to meet our customers’ needs,” said Sunny Quek, OCBC Bank’s Head of Consumer Financial Services, Singapore.
“We encourage our customers to make use of our digital solutions to minimise their need to come into our branches. Without even needing to come to our branches, customers can easily manage their cash, access wealth management products, apply for credit card applications, home loans and personal loans.”
Featured Image Credit: CapitaLand
