Preliminary engineering reports have prompted the ANZ Bank group to move out of its current Marton branch into other premises, the third bank in the town to relocate after seismic engineering assessments of its premises failed to give it a pass mark.
The Westpac branch moved into other premises back in January and the BNZ followed suit early last month, again prompted by structural engineering reports on its premises.
Andrew Daubney, ANZ's regional manager for the Manawatu-Wanganui-Taranaki area, told the Chronicle that their branch will shift into temporary premises within the next three weeks while the group looks for a new permanent home.
Mr Daubney said seismic assessments were being carried out on all the bank's premises around the country and that had started last year in the wake of the devastating Christchurch earthquakes.
"The preliminary engineer's report we have received about the Marton branch is not flash, so that's why we're on the move.
"But we want to make it absolutely clear that we are committed to Marton," he said.
Letters explaining the pending shift were posted to clients yesterday and Mr Daubney said they expected to be in temporary headquarters in the township in about three weeks' time.
"We're working on those details now and that involves things like getting consents and sorting out cabling for our operation."
He said ANZ was still looking for a permanent home in Marton.
"This move is about putting the safety of our customers and staff first. We are on the front foot with this and we have to be, for obvious reasons," he said.
Other banks have also been looking at their building portfolios and that has seen two other banks move into temporary premises.
The BNZ's 106-year-old building in Marton was declared earthquake-prone early in August. The brick building needed significant remedial work if it were to be brought up to today's building standards.
Callum Gillespie, BNZ head of retail distribution, said they received a report that said the building might not survive a significant earthquake, "so we decided to move our people out and look for alternative options".
Initially, that meant Marton customers were supported by the nearby branches and the bank ran shuttles from Marton to Feilding to support customers who required banking services.
But within a week the BNZ branch was up and running from a customised banking Portacom in the New World carpark. The Portacom was last used in Lyttelton following the Christchurch earthquake and remains in use while the bank finds a new permanent home.
The countrywide seismic review included the ANZ group premises in Wanganui, being the ANZ branch and the National Bank both in Victoria Ave.
Mr Daubney said neither branch was affected.
"The ANZ office is not that old and, while the National is in an old building, it's fine. There's absolutely no way we'll be moving out of that building," he said.
The Historic Places Trust has given the National Bank building a category two rating.