The Greater Building Society's Wallsend branch has been virtually destroyed following the violent storms and resulting floodwater that devastated the area during the past few days.

Greater Building Society chief executive John Arnold says because of the extent of the damage it will be between six to eight weeks before the branch is reopened.

“We are making every effort to minimise disruption to our customers until the Wallsend branch reopens,” Mr Arnold says.

Yesterday all Wallsend branch customer records were transferred to the nearby Elermore Vale branch. From today, a free courtesy bus will take customers between the Wallsend and Elermore Vale branches. The bus will leave Wallsend every half hour from 9:00am until 4:30pm Monday to Friday and from 9:00am to 11:30am on Saturday morning.

The Greater's other 29 Hunter branches are operating as normal, as are its ATM, Internet and phone banking systems.

Mr Arnold also announced that special arrangements will be made by the Greater for any customer affected by the recent storms.

“Any customer who is experiencing financial difficulty as a result of the storms should call our Customer Service staff on 1300 651 400 or visit one of our branches.

“On behalf of the staff of the Greater I extend my sincere condolences to the people of the Hunter who have been affected by these devastating storms,” he says.