About Us
Learn more about Bank First and discover what sets us apart from other banks. At Bank First, we're invested in you.
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Our Story
Bank First was born when a group of 48 educators came together with a shared belief.
They had grown disenchanted with the way many Australians were being treated by the big banks and wanted a financial institution that placed a value on what people did for the community – not simply by how much money they made.
So in 1972, they started their own financial institution - a mutual bank owned entirely by customers.
Founded on care and compassion, our first loan was to a single mother for a bond to acquire housing for herself and her two children.
After 4 decades of financially empowering educators to realise their dreams, we are still driven by the same founding values and focus on putting our customers first.
Formerly Victoria Teachers Mutual Bank, we changed our name in December 2017, to one that reflects our mutual bank’s focus on putting our customers first.
At Bank First we’re invested in you.
Our Promise
At Bank First, we’re invested in you.
As we are owned entirely by our customers, we exist to financially empower people to realise their dreams – not to make money for shareholders.
Since 1972 we have helped over 200,000 Australians with their banking needs; from managing their money and saving for a rainy day, right through to purchasing their first home and planning for retirement.
Driven by care and compassion, we are committed to providing a better banking experience to all the people and occupations that drive a better community.
From the products and services we offer, through to our dedicated customer service staff, we pride ourselves on putting our customers first.
Our Commitment
As part of our commitment to the customer owned banking sector, we follow the Customer Owned Banking Code of Practice, which is our promise to you that:
We will deliver banking services in the interests of our customers.
We will obey the law.
We will not mislead or deceive.
We will act honestly and fairly.
We will offer products and services that are fit for general purpose.
We will deliver services with reasonable care and skill.
We will contribute to our community.
Our Values
Our values are integral to who we are. They underpin everything we do and embody who we are as an organisation.
We careWe care
We listen to our customers and do all we can to meet their needs. We support our people to be their best.
We learn and growWe learn and grow
We are passionate about building our collective knowledge. We actively seek to be agile and great.
We empowerWe empower
We enable our people and customers to achieve the best outcomes by being consistent and present.
We do it for the customerWe do it for the customer
We stand out by being authentic and honest. We are proud to do the right thing for our customers.