NatWest confirms three more Derbyshire banks set to close this year
Three NatWest bank branches in Derbyshire are set to close this year, as the shift to online banking continues. Overall, the bank, which serves over 19 million customers, is expected to close branches in 53 more locations nationally.
Among those branches singled out for closure locally are Osmaston Road in Allenton, Chesterfield Road, Alfreton and Market Place, Long Eaton. The closing dates have been listed as May 13 for Allenton, June 2 for Alfreton and May 29 for Long Eaton.
Since January 2015, over 6,200 bank and building society branches have closed, according to consumer group Which?. On average, this equates to 53 closures every month, according to the Express.
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However, NatWest Group - comprising NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Ulster Bank - has closed 1,428 branches, the most of any UK banking group.
A NatWest spokesperson said: “Our customers are using digital banking more than ever before – 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.
“Like any business, we strive to meet our customers’ changing needs and expectations, and we’ve been responding to the industry-wide shift towards digital services by investing to broaden what customers can do themselves and to offer them greater personalisation.
“We are also significantly investing in refreshing our network – we expect to invest in excess of £20million 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.”
However, the ever-growing list of branch closures has drawn criticism from customers and charities.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: "The continuing avalanche of bank branch closures means that by the end of this year, there will be considerably fewer opportunities for face-to-face banking than there were even just a couple of years ago.
"Older people living in rural and semi-rural areas are likely to be the hardest hit, but those in towns and cities are not immune."
The charity’s research found that more than four million older people with a bank account in Britain are not managing their money online, and so are at high risk of digital exclusion.