Latest news with #bankclosures
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Leek residents react to NatWest and Halifax bank closures
Shoppers and business owners have bemoaned the "terrible" loss of two high street banks and the impact it could have on their Halifax and NatWest branches in Leek, Staffordshire, closed on 4 June and Monday respectively with both firms citing the ongoing trend of customers moving to online banking Angela Golding, who works at the town's Delia Metcalfe store, the closures have had an effect on both the shop and its older customers."We like the cash because it stops the card machine fees. Older people like to give cash to their grandchildren. Everybody needs cash and we all use it," she said. "It's terrible to lose two banks, especially the NatWest, and it has a knock-on effect on everybody. It's such a shame to have that building go to rack and ruin."Stephen Lanza, who runs Mosaic Boutique in Sheep Market, said the bank closures were "shocking" to him, as his store preferred cash over credit or debit card transactions. "You know what you are spending when you use cash. What people don't realise is when you pay by card the retailer is not even getting the full amount," he Allan Clarke, 75, said he was "not very happy" about the closures, having been with NatWest since he was 16 years old."You used to be able to go and see a bank manager, now we can't even get in the building," he Furmston said there was a second NatWest branch in the town at one point and now there were none, adding: "It's just a shame." A Halifax spokesperson said more than 20 million customers now used its apps and had "more flexibility than ever for their day-to-day banking".It said users could also use telephone banking, visit a community banker or use any other Halifax, Lloyds or Bank of Scotland said banking had "changed dramatically" in recent years with rising demand for mobile and online firm said it took the decision to close branches "very seriously"."We'll always work hard to guide and support you through the changes and find the best way to serve you from now on," it added. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Exact dates NatWest will close 55 bank branches in fresh blow to high street
NATWEST is shutting the doors on 55 bank branches for good, in yet another hit to Britain's already struggling high streets. Despite the closures, the bank says it will invest over £20 million in its remaining network to modernise services and reduce environmental impact. Closures will begin from 24 September 2025 and continue through to 5 February 2026, marking another major pullback from bricks-and-mortar banking. It comes just months after NatWest revealed plans to shut 53 other branches in 2025 — as it continues to scale back face-to-face services. A spokesperson for NatWest said: "Over 80% of our active current account holders now use our digital services and over 97% of retail accounts with us are now opened online. "Our customers appreciate the speed and convenience of digital banking for everyday transactions, and often, when it comes to making bigger, more complex decisions they value speaking to our skilled and experienced colleagues." They added: "We expect to invest over £20m in our network across the UK in 2025 to improve customer service, enhance the look and feel of our branches, and reduce the environmental impact of our buildings, as well as continuing to invest in shared solutions like the Post Office and Banking Hubs. "We will also provide temporary support for transitions to our new network in selected locations through our 12-week Community Pop-Ups." The bank has confirmed it will close 52 permanent branches and axe three mobile banking vans in locations across the UK, including Torquay, Birmingham, Abingdon, Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon and Northampton. NatWest has already drastically reduced its branch numbers in recent years. Since 2015, the NatWest Group — which also includes Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank — has shut 1,409 branches. In 2023, the bank closed nearly 20 locations, followed by 48 more closures last year. The latest move comes amid a wider trend across the industry, with major high street banks shutting hundreds of branches between them. According to Which?, around 6,100 bank and building society branches have closed across the UK since January 2015. That's 61 per cent of all branches shut in just 10 years. Banks have blamed the closures on declining footfall and a steady shift towards online and mobile banking. But the move has sparked concern from community groups and campaigners, particularly for older people and those less comfortable with digital technology. Research shows 39 per cent of people aged over 65 do not use online banking, putting them at high risk of financial exclusion. And a Which? survey last year found that more than half of disabled or impaired customers were negatively impacted by bank closures, making everyday banking much harder. Full list of NatWest banks closing 1. Abingdon, 11 Market Place, Abingdon, OX14 3HH, 24/9/2025 2. Birmingham - Acocks Green, Shop 3, 1160 Warwick Road, Birmingham, B27 6DF, 16/9/2025 3. Ashby-de-la-Zouch, 54 Market Street, Ashby-De-La-Zouch, LE65 1BB, 18/9/2025 4. Bicester, 1-7 Manorsfield Road, Bicester, OX26 6DA, 30/9/2025 5. Bridgwater, 9 York Buildings, Bridgwater, TA6 3BS, 27/10/2025 6. Bridport, 22 East Street, Bridport, DT6 3LG, 29/10/2025 7. Cardiff - Canton, 277 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff, CF5 1WX, 16/9/2025 8. Chippenham, 30 High Street, Chippenham, SN15 3HB, 15/10/2025 9. Cirencester, 32 Market Place, Cirencester, GL7 2NU, 17/9/2025 10. Crome r, 61 Church Street, Cromer, NR27 9YY, Date to be confirmed 11. Cwmbran, 36-37 Gwent Square, Cwmbran, NP44 1YW, 1/9/2025 12. Dorchester, 49 South Street, Dorchester, DT1 1DW, 22/10/2025 13. Birmingham - Edgbaston, 30A Harborne Road, Birmingham, B15 3AA, 11/9/2025 14. Ely, 16 Market Street, Ely, CB7 4YY, 10/9/2025 15. Evesham, 2 Bridge Street, Evesham, WR11 4RS, Date to be confirmed 16. Bristol - Fishponds, 778 Fishponds Road, Bristol, BS16 3TX, 4/9/2025 17. Halesowen, 2 Hagley Road, Halesowen, B63 4RQ, 3/9/2025 18. Hinckley, 13 The Borough, Hinckley, LE10 1NL, 17/9/2025 19. Honiton, 94 High Street, Honiton, EX14 1JL, 21/10/2025 20. Kettering, 16 High Street, Kettering, NN16 8SZ, 28/10/2025 21. Launceston, 14 Westgate Street, Launceston, PL15 7AG, Date to be confirmed 22. Luton - Leagrave, 11 Marsh Road, Luton, LU3 2QP, 15/9/2025 23. Leicester - Melton Road, 2 Melton Road, Leicester, LE4 5EA, 2/9/2025 24. Leighton Buzzard, 27 High Street, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1DX, 28/10/2025 25. Llangefni, Glanhwfa Road, Llangefni, LL77 7WY, 4/9/2025 26. Cardiff - Llanishen, Westminster Chambers, 50-52 Station Road, Cardiff, CF14 5QP, 11/9/2025 27. Lowestoft, 53 London Road North, Lowestoft, NR32 1BJ, 15/10/2025 28. Melton Mowbray, 7 High Street, Melton Mowbray, LE13 0TT, 29/9/2025 29. Midsomer Norton, 3 High Street, Radstock, BA3 2LE, 8/10/2025 30. Mol d, 48-50 High Street, Mold, CH7 1BA, 21/10/2025 31. Neath, 35 Green Street, Neath, SA11 1DB, 13/10/2025 32. Newmarket (Suffolk), 18 High Street, Newmarket, CB8 8LH, 24/9/2025 33. Northampton - Weston Favell Shopping Centre, 17 Weston Favell Centre, Northampton, NN3 8FZ, 15/9/2025 34. Leicester - Oadby, 5 The Parade, Leicester, LE2 5BB, 10/9/2025 35. Paignton, 15 Victoria Street, Paignton, TQ4 5DE, 2/10/2025 36. Portishead, 25 High Street, Bristol, BS20 6BL, Date to be confirmed 37. Rayleigh, 43 High Street, Rayleigh, SS6 7EW, 2/9/2025 38. Redditch, Church Green House, Church Green East, Redditch, B98 8DG, 14/10/2025 39. Ringwood, 11 High Street, Ringwood, BH24 1BA, 1/10/2025 40. Romsey, 27 Market Place, Romsey, SO51 8ZH, 13/10/2025 41. Leamington Spa, Royal Priors, 59 Parade, Leamington Spa, CV32 4ZX, 1/10/2025 42. Birmingham - Shirle y, 231 Stratford Road, Solihull, B90 3AJ, 29/9/2025 43. Birmingham - Smethwick, 34-38 High Street, Smethwick, B66 1DU, 25/9/2025 44. Stevenage, 26-28 Queensway, Stevenage, SG1 1BS, 7/10/2025 45. Stratford-upon-Avon, 31 Rother Street, Stratford-Upon-Avon, CV37 6ZS, 8/10/2025 46. Sudbury, 32 Market Hill, Sudbury, CO10 2EN, 30/9/2025 47. Torquay, 108 Union Street, Torquay, TQ2 5PH, 3/9/2025 48. Trowbridge, 62 Fore Street, Trowbridge, BA14 8EX, 16/10/2025 49. Wellingborough, 40 Market Street, Wellingborough, NN8 1AD, 7/10/2025 50. Wickford, 63 High Street, Wickford, SS12 9AH, 18/9/2025 51. Wisbech, 1 Market Place, Wisbech, PE13 1DT, 1/9/2025 52. Yate, 3-5 North Walk, Bristol, BS37 4AG, 25/9/2025 53. (MOBILE) Prestatyn, Lower High Street Car Park, Prestatyn, LL19 9LG, 29/9/2025 54. (MOBILE) Abergele, Tesco Car Park, Abergele, LL22 7AA, 29/9/2025 55. (MOBILE) Welshpool, Tesco Welshpool Car Park, Welshpool, SY21 7BL, 29/9/2025 The three mobile branches being scrapped also affect rural and hard-to-reach communities who rely on them to manage their money without travelling long distances. While some services will be available via the Post Office or new shared banking hubs, critics say this doesn't go far enough to meet local needs. Customers are urged to check if their local branch is on the chopping block and prepare for alternative ways to bank. Other major banks are also swinging the axe, cutting thousands of branches up and down the country. Lloyds Banking Group, which includes Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, has announced over 170 closures for 2024 and 2025 combined. Barclays has already closed more than 1,200 branches since 2015 and confirmed over 100 more will shut by the end of this year. HSBC is also slashing locations, with 114 branches closed in 2023 alone — and more due to follow in 2025. TSB and Santander have also trimmed their networks in recent years, with TSB shutting over 250 sites since 2020, while Santander closed 111 branches in 2021. Customers being forgotten Customers are being forgotten, writes The Sun's Head of Consumer, Tara Evans. Customers are being forgotten, writes The Sun's Head of Consumer, Tara Evans. With branches closing and online banking taking over, customers can be left feeling cut off. We wrote about forgotten customers back in July on our Sun Money pages in our weekly newspaper section. People like David Elkins, 82, a retired service engineer from Calne, Wilts, who saw his HSBC branch close in 2023 and had to travel ten miles to the next nearest. He has a kidney issue and needs frequent dialysis, making it impractical. Banking hubs are emerging as a solution to address the gaps left by widespread closures - but there are not enough of them. There are plans for 146 of these, but so far there are only 60. You can use one of the Post Office's 11,635 branches to perform basic banking tasks, but they don't allow you to open or close accounts for example. 2
The Sun
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Major bank to close 23 more branches this month in huge blow to UK high streets
A MAJOR bank is set to close 23 branches this month, as British high streets struggle to survive. The first round of Santander's closures is underway, after the bank announced in March of this year that they would be shutting at least 95 sites nationwide. 2 They cited the reason for the closures as customers moving increasingly online, reducing the need for in-person services. A statement on its website reads: "We last did a major review of our branches in 2021. "Since then, many of our customers are choosing to use Mobile, Online and Telephone Banking more, and branches less." However, there are concerns about the impact these closures could have on vulnerable people with limited access to online facilities. Charities like Age UK are campaigning to maintain some in-person banking options, with 4 million older Britons unable to manage their finances online. Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: 'Physical spaces – whether a bank or building society branch, Banking Hub, or alternative suitable provision – must continue to exist so people can still carry out face-to-face tasks. "The disappearance of face-to-face banking risks cutting a significant minority of the older population out of an essential service, making it difficult if not impossible for them to manage their money and maintain their independence.' The only alternative is 'Banking Hubs' which have been launched to give customers access to cash and services, regardless of which bank they are with. In addition to the 95 closures countrywide, Santander will also be making changes to surviving branches. This includes reduced opening hours, converting some to 'counter-free' businesses, and opening work cafes. These 'work cafes' provide free co-working spaces, bookable meeting rooms and banking facilities, available to anyone, even if you aren't a Santander customer. Santander's £130 Million Recovery: What You Need to Know The closures are part of a wider financial shift in which banks are prioritising online services. According to consumer group Which?, more than 6,300 bank and building societies have closed since January 2015. This averages out to 53 store closures per month. 2 Other major banks have also made the decision to close a number of branches, with 102 set to close across different banks this month. This includes major providers like Lloyds, Natwest and Halifax, in addition to Santander's closures. Meanwhile Nationwide has promised to keep its nearly 700 branches open until the start of 2028 as they claim more customers are visiting their stores. Santander is set to close even more stores over the coming months, with the dates of 18 branches still yet to be announced. Reduced hours will come into effect on June 30, with 36 stores affected. Here is the full list of June closures: Aberdare - 24 June Arbroath - 17 June Blackwood - 23 June Brecon - 25 June Clacton - 16 June Cleveleys - 23 June Croydon 128 NE - 16 June Dungannon - 23 June Eltham - 23 June Fleet - 30 June Gateshead Metro - 16 June Glasgow LDHQ - 24 June Glasgow MX - 23 June Greenford - 24 June Kidderminster - 18 June Kilburn - 17 June Launceston - 16 June Louth - 17 June Magherafelt - 24 June Musselburgh - 30 June Peterhead - 16 June Portadown - 30 June Swandlincote - 30 June Torquay - 17 June
The Sun
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Major British bank with 23million customers is axing NINE branches in just days – is one going near you?
HIGH streets are set to lose nine bank branches this month as a pooular banking group is making a series of closures. The shutdowns are set to take place over the coming days, and could affect millions of customers. 1 The bank currently has 614 branches across the UK, but more closures are imminent. Halifax, which is part of Lloyds Banking Group, will close nine bank branches between June 2 and June 5. This marks the latest phase in the bank's ongoing review of its branch network. It is scheduled to close a total of 61 branches by March 2026. The first three branches in the current round of closures will close on Monday, June 2. The first affected locations are Felixstowe, Gainsborough, and Kingsbury. A further five closures are expected later this month, with additional branches across the country set to shut their doors in the coming weeks. The decision comes after an increased numbe of customers opt for online and mobile banking services. Halifax explained that the affected branches have experienced a steady decline in footfall in recent years. The banking sector has responded to changing customer behaviour, as more people choose digital banking options over traditional branch visits. Fresh wave of bank branches set to close for good in June "Over 20 million customers are using our apps for on-demand access to their money, and customers have more choice and flexibility than ever for their day-to-day banking," a Halifax spokesman said. The bank added that customers retain access to multiple banking channels beyond the closing branches. "Alongside our apps, customers can also use telephone banking, visit a community banker or use any Halifax, Lloyds or Bank of Scotland branch, giving access to many more branches," the rep said. Halifax customers can also conduct everyday banking at over 11,000 Post Office branches and have the option to visit a Banking Hub for their banking needs. The nine Halifax branches closing in the coming days are spread across England and Wales. What Halifax branches are closing this month? Felixstowe - June 2 Gainsborough - June 2 Kingsbury - June 2 Horsforth - June 3 Launceston - June 3 Letchworth - June 3 Bournemouth - June 4 Leek - June 4 Mold - June 5 On June 3, three more branches will shut in Horsforth, Launceston, and Letchworth. While two additional closures are scheduled for June 4, affecting branches in Bournemouth and Leek. And the final closure of the week will take place on June 5 in Mold, Wales. Lloyds have also announced a series of closures, with 18 branches affected.
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Major US banks close 36 locations in just three weeks
Advertisement Major banks have closed 36 locations across America in just three weeks, as experts warn communities are being stripped of vital local services. Between April 26 and May 15, major lenders including Santander, US Bank and Wells Fargo were among the eight banks to notify the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) of planned closures. Banks are required to alert the OCC before shutting down a branch and the agency then publishes the filings in a weekly report. While the listings indicate intent to close, they are not final confirmations. In the three week period, Santander said it would 28 locations — far more than any other institution. Community Bank was next at five local branches, US Bank four, and Wells Fargo three. The remainder was made up by Bank of America, Capital One, Flagstar and Key Bank. New York was the worst hit state, losing ten local bank locations. Massachusetts was also hit with six closures and Pennsylvania, five. In 2024, banks closed a total of 1,043 branches nationwide and the trend has only accelerated in 2025 with 272 closures already logged in the first quarter alone. New research also recently revealed that the last physical branch could close in 2041. Experts from Self Financial reached the number by studying the rate of net closures across the country, which has averaged 1,646 each year since 2018. 'Retail bank closures in the US aren't slowing,' Darren Kingman (pictured) from Root Digital told 'The last time this many people shared a local branch was in 1995' he explained. Kingman warned that while the US edges toward a cashless future, over 200 million Americans still deposit cash — meaning longer lines and worse service as access shrinks. Despite the digital shift, a new GoBankingRates survey also found 45 percent of Americans still prefer in-person banking. 'The shift towards online banking is growing more intense in 2025,' GoBankingRates lead data content researcher Andrew Murray told 'Despite the trend towards online banking, our survey data shows more than half of Americans are concerned about the rising number of physical branches that have shut down in the past few years,' Murray explained.
