Commonwealth Bank Potts Point reportedly locked down over ‘bomb threat’ after $3 cash withdrawal charge caused public backlash

A Commonwealth Bank branch in Potts Point was reportedly closed due to a “bomb threat” just days after a $3 cash withdrawal fee sparked a public backlash.

Police cordoned off Macleay Street in Potts Point and the area around the Commonwealth Bank branch on Friday morning.

“The CBA branch received a ‘serious’ bomb threat, according to the branch manager,” one local reported.

A New South Wales Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: “At around 11.45am today, police were called to a business on Darlinghurst Road, Potts Point, following a report of a threat to a business”.

“Officers attached to Kings Cross Police Area Command established a perimeter and evacuated staff from nearby businesses as a precaution.”

The spokesperson added: ‘Specialized officers assigned to the Canine Unit carried out a search of the premises; however, nothing concerning was found.”

“The operation has now been completed and the traffic diversions have been lifted.”

A Commonwealth Bank spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: ‘We are aware of an incident at our Potts Point branch this morning. The police have attended the scene.

“Our first priority is the safety of our employees, customers and members of the public.”

The spokesperson said the branch will remain closed until further notice.

The threat comes just days after Commonwealth Bank halted a controversial move to move all ‘Full Access’ customers to ‘Smart Access’ accounts, which included a $3 ‘assisted withdrawal fee’.

The charge affects customers when they withdraw cash from bank branches, post offices or by phone, but does not include ATM withdrawals.

However, after almost 24 hours of attacks from all sides of politics, the bank’s head of retail services, Angus Sullivan, announced a temporary reversal of the charge for those likely to take a hit to their pocketbooks.

For the estimated 100,000 customers who would have been worse off, the bank would not apply the change for at least the next six months.

Sullivan admitted that the bank blew up the announcement, adding that most of those moving accounts would have been in a better position.

“A little less than 90 per cent would have been better off moving to the Smart Access account, which has a lower monthly fee, but… it has an assisted withdrawal fee,” he told Sydney’s 2GB radio.

“We’re going to continue to move those customers…for those customers that might have been in a worse position, we’re going to pause the migration and reach out to all of those customers.”

Age, service and disability pensioners, customers under 18 years of age and people with disabilities who require the use of branches would no longer have to pay the fee.

It is also waived if more than $2,000 is deposited into the account in a month.

More to come.