About Wide Bay Australia

Our today

Wide Bay Australia Ltd helps everyday Australians achieve home ownership and to continue building their wealth. For investors, we provide financial opportunities that offer attractive and secure returns. We offer an extensive range of loans, savings and investments, insurance, foreign exchange, and banking services.

Operating in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and throughout regional Queensland, our innovative business is based on a foundation of strength, consistent growth and profitability.

We play an active part in the communities we serve and have built our reputation around a true community banking philosophy. We nurture and grow one-to-one relationships with our customers, staff, business partners and our communities.

We deliver solid growth and returns for our stakeholders and take seriously the commitment to shareholders, customers and ourselves to maintain financial strength and consistent profitability.

We are one of Australia’s larger non-bank Approved Deposit Taking institutions, regulated under APRA (Australian Prudential Regulation Authority), the group responsible for the prudential supervision of banks, building societies and credit unions.

Our yesterday

Our origins are in the local communities of Queensland’s Wide Bay Burnett region. We were formed in 1979 from the merger of the Burnett Permanent Building Society (based in Bundaberg) and the Maryborough Permanent Building Society, both of which had operated since the early 1960s.

In 1981, Wide Bay Capricorn amalgamated with the Gympie and North Coast Building Society and in 1983 another merger occurred with the Gladstone-based Port Curtis Building Society.

Wide Bay Capricorn Building Society Ltd listed on the Australian Stock Exchange Limited in 1994. Since then our shares have traded strongly – reflecting our record of growth and profitability.

In 1997 Wide Bay was one of the first unrated non-bank financial institutions to use securitisation as a liquidity management tool. Wide Bay Australia and SG Australia Ltd launched the largest ‘AAA’ rated high LVR mortgage loan securitisation in the Australian market in August 2000.

In the 2000/01 financial year Wide Bay Australia exceeded $1 billion in assets and loans under management.

From a strong support base in Central and South-East Queensland, the group has expanded interstate to become a national organisation. This culminated with a name change to Wide Bay Australia Ltd in December 2003.

In 2005, Wide Bay Australia was assigned a “BBB-” investment grade credit rating by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s.

In 2006, Wide Bay Australia launched limited commercial lending. In 2007, a margin loan product was also developed - secured by managed funds and only offered in association with our existing financial planning structure.

In 2008, we were successful in our takeover of the ASX listed Mackay Permanent Building Society Limited (MPBS) with a number of MPBS shareholders becoming Wide Bay Australia shareholders as part of our offer. This move strengthened Wide Bay Australia's representation in Central and North Queensland with additional branches and customer base.

Our future

By growing our business, our products, services and our skills we will to continue to excel as a leading national banking group that is strengthened by our commitment to service and community partnerships.

The years ahead will herald an exciting new era for the group with further national growth and expansion planned.

Wide Bay Australia looks forward to a dynamic, profitable future led by a Board and management team who share a drive to succeed as a publicly listed company, as a financial institution, as an employer and as an active member of the community.