Bank executive sacked after accounts raided

Photo / Christchurch Star

A senior staff member at a Whangarei bank has been sacked for fraud involving thousands of dollars.

The ANZ Bank is tightlipped about the nature of the allegations and the amount involved, citing a police investigation.

A bank spokesman said Whangarei police had been notified of unauthorised transactions made by a staff member where a small number of customers' accounts were compromised.

"We are contacting the affected customers and are compensating them fully."

It's not clear how long the alleged offending went on for and when it was discovered.

"ANZ has no tolerance for this kind of behaviour and we are deeply sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers," the bank said.

"We acted quickly to investigate as soon as we were aware. This incident has been deeply disappointing for all our staff who work at the branch and the bank as a whole.

"The staff member involved no longer works for ANZ."

The bank said protecting its customers against fraud was something it took very seriously. "ANZ has internal processes and systems in place, which are constantly under review, that allow us to identify fraud."

Banking Ombudsman Deb Battell said her office had not received any complaints. "Typically, fraud is dealt with internally. We would only become involved if, for example, a customer considered they had not been dealt with appropriately through the bank's internal processes."

This isn't the first time a Northland bank has had to deal with inside theft.

In 2006, bank manager Mark Andrew Scott and partner Vanessa Ada Scott admitted aggravated robbery of the Wellsford BNZ.

The pair and two accomplices planned a $136,000 heist, in which Mr Scott started work early, leaving a side door open for the group to enter and tie up other bank workers.

Mr Scott was bound after the money was taken but an escape attempt by a bank colleague alerted a passerby and the police charged all four that day.

- APN, staff reporter