Demerara Bank held an outreach in New York yesterday that registered Guyanese and Guyanese-American customers. The exercise drew long lines and some applicants waited for hours.
The bank’s team operated outside Bakewell at 127-08 Liberty Avenue in South Richmond Hill, Queens, where people turned up to apply for Guyana-based bank accounts. Short videos posted by social media personality Leon Jameson Suseran showed a lengthy line at approximately 6 pm, which was the advertised closing time for the exercise. While recording the gathering, Suseran said: “Okay guys, it’s 6 pm here and the line is still long here of persons registering with the local Guyana bank.”
The size of the turnout affected the bank’s plans to hold a subsequent engagement at Hollis. Officials issued an apology to persons who had expected to meet the team in Hollis, posting on the bank’s Facebook page: “To everyone who was expecting us in Hollis, we’re truly sorry we couldn’t make it.” The bank added: “We know many of you made plans to meet with us, and we genuinely regret that we weren’t able to be there.”
In an accompanying video, bank officials acknowledged the disappointment caused and promised that another visit would be arranged. A bank official said: “We know that we created that disappointment for you, but we sincerely hope that we can make this up, and we will visit here again. We will reach out to you.” Persons who were unable to meet the team were advised they could still submit applications through the bank’s website.
Officials said the response to the Liberty Avenue exercise had been overwhelming and expressed appreciation to those who waited in line. An official said: “People stood there for so long, patiently waiting for their bank account, for which we appreciate you.” The bank apologised to applicants whom its representatives were unable to attend to at Liberty Avenue and said the public would be informed when another exercise was scheduled. The bank said: “To everyone who came out and connected with us during our visit to New York, thank you for the support.”
