The UK banks closing the most and least branches


Updated on 12 September 2017 | 6 Comments

Bank branches are closing at a faster rate than ever, and some regions are worse off than others. Here's what to do if your local branch closes.

A whopping 703 bank branches are set to close this year, according to Which?

Some 461 branches closed in 2015, while 583 shut last year, totalling 1,747 closures in three years.

Who is closing their doors?

RBS will close 240 branches this year, comprising 199 NatWest and 41 RBS sites. Lloyds Bank will be closing 141 branches and HSBC, who has closed down a third of branches since 2015, will be closing 117 branches.

Take a look at how many branches are closing this year in comparison to 2015 and 2016.

Banks closing the most branches (Image: Which?)

This news follows a report from the British Bankers’ Association (BIBA) in July which revealed that almost 20 million people now bank on their mobile phone.

The areas with the most closures

The south east had the highest number of bank branch closures in 2017, with 96 branches shutting, while the north east is only losing 26 branches.

Wales and south west England had the highest rate of closures, both having 1.7 closures per 100,000 residents.

At local authority level, Cornwall will lose 16 branches this year, including nine Lloyds and five HSBC branches. There are also 14 closures in Edinburgh, including nine Royal Bank of Scotland sites

What to do if your bank branch closes

The Post Office is the best alternative for those that need to access everyday bank services.

And NatWest has recently introduced a personal bank at home service where a 'community banker' visits customers at home or a local community centre. 

If your bank’s local branch is closing and you rely on branch services it may be worth switching to another bank or building society that still has a presence in your community.

Santander and TSB have shut fewer branches than its rivals and offer competitive current accounts. The Santander 123 Current Account, for example, pays 1.5% on balances up to £20,000 and allows you to earn up to 3% cashback on certain bills.

Fed up with your bank? Compare current accounts with loveMONEY

Another option is to try to get banks to listen to your concerns.

Barclays, for example, closed its branch in Barnes, south west London, in November 2015 after it was found only 96 customers used the branch for their banking.

However, customers and a local campaign group gathered more than 3,000 signatures in protest against the closure, and the bank found the main concern was the loss of the cash machine, which would leave that part of the high street without one.

The bank agreed to keep the cash machine up and running after the branch was shut.

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