Print this Page
About Us
Trust your financial needs with one of Australia's TOP 500 private companies!
When making financial decisions regarding loans and investments, you want to feel safe and secure. You can count on the Greater to provide the strength and security you are looking for..
- View a copy of our latest Annual Report. Please note, this file is 2Mb in size and may take a considerable time to download. Please phone our Customer Service department if you would like a copy mailed to you.
- We are listed as number 156 in the Top 500 Private Companies in Australia according to 2007 BRW Magazine.
- We have a BBB/Stable/A-2 "Investment Grade" credit rating from Standard & Poors.
- We are committed to continually providing a comprehensive range of competitive savings, investment and loan products.
- The Greater aims to be recognised as the most progressive, customer-focused financial institution in Australia.
- To service the needs of our members, the Greater has established an extensive network of branches covering Newcastle, the Hunter Valley, North Coast, mid-North Coast, Central Coast, Sydney, Illawarra Region, Bathurst/Orange, North West region and the Gold Coast. This wide geographic network serves over a quarter of a million members.
- We have established a modern Call Centre, staffed by highly skilled consultants who answer all calls personally, and are trained to be able to answer member's enquiries, or to assist prospective borrowers with their home or personal loan enquiries.
- The Greater is licenced by ASIC to provide advice and deal in financial services.
- The Greater is also an APRA approved and authorised deposit-taking institution. One of the benefits of that is that our counter cheques are equivalent to Bank Cheques under the Cheques Act 1986.
- For the 2003 / 2004 financial year we approved loans of $1.332 billion, a record for the Society.
- We understand the importance of investing our member's money wisely ensuring that these funds are not put at risk. Therefore, money is invested in two main areas -predominantly it is invested in loans - residential loans accounting for about 80% of all deposited money, whilst 5% fund other loans types like that of consumer and commercial loans. The remaining amount is invested in high quality liquid assets.
- Our Internet banking arrangements makes it easier for members to check account balances, loan balances and transfer funds between Greater accounts.
- Further information on the Greater's financial performance can be obtained by asking for our latest financial statements from any of our branches.
If you would like any further information about the Greater's products and services, please click on our email enquiries section or call 1300 651 400.
Our Community Involvement
- We aim to make a positive contribution in the communities in which we operate by being an active corporate citizen. This was recognised in July 2004 with the awarding of the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Community Business Partnerships for 2004 (NSW Large Business section) for our work with Mayumarri Healing Centre.
- We have been involved with the Hunter Academy of Sport for many years and commenced the Greater Building Society Sports Scholarships in 1994. Each year, ten outstanding potential Olympians are presented with Scholarships which assist in meeting the costs of participating in events at the elite level.
- The Greater is a Foundation Gold Circle sponsor of the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI). Our initial funding of Professor Darren Shafren’s project has enabled him to progress his cure for melanoma using a common cold virus to the commercial stage. This treatment is now being tested on other forms of cancer, including ovarian cancer. The Greater’s current sponsorship has provided funding for an additional researcher, Dr Neil Spratt, to become part of the already strong team looking at treatments for people who have suffered from a stroke.
- The Greater has also committed to ongoing sponsorship of the Wesley Mission. Our funding of the Lifeforce suicide prevention program in regional NSW enables many more people to attend seminars which help people to recognise the early symptoms when someone is considering suicide.
- The Greater has recently become a foundation member of the Prostate Survival Alliance (PSA) Group. We are providing marketing and business consulting to enable the group to encourage more men to be tested at an early stage for prostate cancer. The death rate from prostate cancer is 40% higher in the Hunter than in metropolitan Sydney, and one of the main reasons for this is believed to be because men in the Hunter are not being tested early enough to detect the cancer before it becomes life threatening.
Archived Annual Reports