Australian banks would have to meet a minimum level of service in regional areas or contribute funding to bolster the number of branches and ATMs offered by other institutions, in a proposal put forward by Treasury. According to a confidential report sent to bankers this week, seen by Guardian Australia, Treasury has outlined two proposals to better support the presence of in-person branches and ATMs. One was a community service obligation, with a “baseline” of minimum services and expenditure for banks according to their service level and market size. If this cannot be met, banks could offset their “deficit” by
