A MAJOR bank has announced it is closing dozens more branches this year.
Natwest is pulling the plug on 34 more locations across the UK.
Natwest and RBS are the latest to announce bank closures
It brings the total Natwest branches closing this year to 126.
Bank branches have been closing regularly for several years as customers move more towards online banking.
Natwest is pulling down the shutters on 34 banks, with the majority closing later this year.
While RBS, which is part of the same group as Natwest, is also shutting two in November, latest data from LINK, the UK’s largest cash machine network reveals.
Here’s the full list of the latest banks set to close:
Natwest, Corby, September 26Natwest, Gloucestershire, September 26Natwest, London, September 27Natwest, Bexhill, September 27Natwest, Bognor Regis, September 27Natwest, Camberwell, September 28Natwest, Gosport, September 28Natwest, Cleethorpes, October 3Natwest, Southampton, October 4Natwest, Sidcup, October 4Natwest, Southgate, October 5Natwest, Woodley, October 5Natwest, Stanmore, October 10Natwest, Tiverton, October 10Natwest, Parkhouse Industrial Estate, October 11Natwest, London, October 11Natwest, Beckton, October 12Natwest, Weybridge, October 12Natwest, Wickersley, October 17Natwest, Prestwich, October 18Natwest, Tavistock, October 18Natwest, Alton, October 19Natwest, Exmouth, October 19Natwest, Norwich, October 31Natwest, Wanstead, October 31Natwest, Leicester, November 2Natwest, Camborne, November 7Natwest, Plymouth, November 7Natwest, Colchester, November 7Natwest, Ipswich, November 8Natwest, Shotton, November 9Natwest, London, November 9RBS, Dingwall, November 1RBS, Dundee, November 2
A further two Natwest branches will be shutting in July next year – one in Stalybridge and the other in West Kirby.
The Sun has contacted Natwest for a comment.
Even before the latest closures above, by the end of 2023, The Natwest Group will have closed 1,299 branches, according to Which?.
The Group is made up of Natwest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster.
Natwest and RBS aren’t the only banks to announce a flurry of closures recently.
Just last week, Barclays said it would be closing six more branches.
Branches will be closing in Redditch, London and Newquay.
It had already announced in May that it would be closing 15 branches.
What to do if your local bank branch closes
Consumers increasingly use online banking to carry out the majority of their day-to-day activities, hence why so many bank branches are closing.
But it can leave those without access to the internet, especially the elderly, without a physical branch nearby.
If you are worried about your local branch closing leaving you in the lurch, you’ve got some options.
You can use one of the Post Office’s 11,635 branches to carry out most banking tasks.
However, you can’t open new bank accounts or take personal loans and mortgages out there.
Meanwhile, many banks offer a mobile banking service – essentially a bus will come to your local area offering all the normal services you can get at your branch.
It’s worth contacting your bank or building society to see if its runs a banking bus and it will be able to tell when one is next near you.
Other banks use buildings such as village halls or libraries to offer mobile banking services.
Banking hubs, which offer traditional shared services, have also been set up in various locations across the UK.
Eight new banking hubs have been set up in the following locations:
Downham Market (Norfolk)Shirebrook (Derbyshire)Otley (West Yorkshire)Sidmouth (Devon)Newton Aycliffe (County Durham)Porthcawl (Bridgend)Withernsea (East Yorkshire)Wellington (Somerset)
There are four locations already open in Brixham, Cambuslang, Cottingham and Rochford.
In other news, we reveal the full list of banks and building societies closing branches this summer.
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