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Full list of banks closing branches this week – see if yours is affected
Widespread branch closures are set to continue through 2024
SIX major bank branches are set to shut for good this week as more than 1,000 closures have been announced in the last 18 months.
Brits are struggling to access in-person services on the high street after Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, NatWest and Barclays announced they would close branches across the UK.
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Barclays is set to pull down the shutters on its branches in Rhyl, Keighley, London and Northampton later this week.
Halifax's branch in Abergavenny and Lloyds Bank in Exeter will close for good on Monday.
Banks and building societies have shut around 6,000 branches since 2015 — at a rate of 54 each month — to almost half the number of branches that existed a decade ago.
Since 2022 almost 1,500 branch closures have been announced, according to data from ATM provider LINK, with 174 further closures slated for the remainder of 2024.
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Barclays has shrunk its network the most, with more than 1,100 branches closed, followed by NatWest, Lloyds and Santander, according to Which? data.
Closures can cause headaches for locals who have to travel further to access services or switch to alternative providers.
More than 40 branches will shut for good this month leaving customers, with no other alternatives nearby.
NatWest will close the most branches in August, with 22 set to shut for good, while Halifax will close eight, Lloyds five, Barclays five and four.
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This is the full list of 44 bank branches closing and the 10 with no other banks nearby:
- Bank of Scotland, Buckie, Scotland, 01/08/2024
- NatWest, Chadwell Heath, England, 01/08/2024 - No other branches nearby
- Halifax, Abergavenny, England, 05/08/2024
- Lloyds, Exeter, England, 05/08/2024 - No other branches nearby
- Lloyds, Commercial Road, London, 06/08/2024
- NatWest, Muswell Hill, London, 06/08/2024
- NatWest, Streatham, London, 06/08/2024
- Halifax, Exmouth, England, 07/08/2024
- Lloyds, Clitheroe, England, 07/08/2024
- NatWest, Hackney, England, 07/08/2024
- NatWest, Paddington, England, 07/08/2024
- Halifax, Haverfordwest, Wales, 08/08/2024
- NatWest, Islington, England, 08/08/2024
- NatWest, Ramsgate, England, 08/08/2024
- Barclays, Rhyl, Wales, 09/08/2024
- Barclays, Keighley, England, 09/08/2024
- Barclays, Acton, England, 09/08/2024
- Barclays, Northampton, England, 09/08/2024
- Halifax, Sudbury, England, 12/08/2024
- Bank of Scotland, Lesmahagow, Scotland, 12/08/2024 - No other branches nearby
- Bank of Scotland, Lanark, Scotland, 13/08/2024
- NatWest, Shepherd’s Bush, England, 13/08/2024
- Lloyds, Ilminster, England, 14/08/2024 - No other branches nearby
- NatWest, Gravesend, England, 14/08/2024
- Halifax, Hessle, England, 15/08/2024 - No other branches nearby
- Bank of Scotland, Kilcreggan, Scotland, 15/08/2024 - No other branches nearby
- NatWest, Marylebone, England, 15/08/2024
- Barclays, Halifax, England, 16/08/2024
- Halifax, Loughton, England, 19/08/2024
- Lloyds, Malpas, England, 20/08/2024 - No other branches nearby
- NatWest, East Grinstead, England, 20/08/2024
- NatWest, Eltham, England, 20/08/2024
- Halifax, Midsomer Norton, England, 21/08/2024
- NatWest, Lewisham, England, 21/08/2024
- NatWest, Woking, England, 21/08/2024
- Halifax, Redhill, England, 22/08/2024
- NatWest, West Wickham, England, 22/08/2024
- NatWest, Worcester Park, England, 22/08/2024
- NatWest, City of London, England, 27/08/2024
- NatWest, Andover, England, 28/08/2024
- NatWest, Stalybridge, England, 29/08/2024 - No other branches nearby
- NatWest, West Kirby, England, 29/08/2024 - No other branches nearby
- NatWest, Marylebone, England, 29/08/2024
- NatWest, Hendon, England, 29/08/2024 - No other branches nearby
What is inflation and what does it mean for me?
Closures have followed a shift in the way people access banking services with most customers using online banking to manage their finances.
Branch closures are also seen as a way for banks and building societies to cut costs.
However, there are fears the continued closures will hurt certain parts of our society more than others.
Research found around 39% of people over 65 did not use online banking and were at "high risk of financial exclusion".
While a survey conducted by Which? last year, found more than half of disabled or impaired people had negatively been impacted by bank closures.
In May TSB announced it would close 36 branches in the next two years.
Earlier this year Lloyds Banking Group, which owns Halifax, confirmed that it will close 69 branches over the next year.
Some banks or building societies such as HSBC and Nationwide have made pledges to limit branch closures or not shut any at all.
Nationwide has announced its commitment to keep its existing branches open until 2028.
What to do if your local bank closes
If a recent bank or building society closure has left you without one nearby, you have some alternatives.
You can carry out most basic banking tasks at your nearest Post Office, although you won't be able to apply for a loan or open a new bank account there.
You can find your nearest Post Office branch by using the locator tool on its website.
Meanwhile, many banks offer a mobile banking service - where they bring a bus to your area offering services you can usually get at a physical branch.
Other banks use buildings such as village halls or libraries to offer mobile banking services.
It's worth contacting your bank to see what services they have available, and when they might next be in your area.
Last month it was announced that new super ATMs would launch in 17 UK locations where branch closures have left residents unable to access essential banking services.
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The ATMs will allow customers to withdraw funds, access their balance, change PIN numbers and deposit cash.
Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Halifax, Lloyds, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank are already signed up to allow deposits, at the super ATMs, with more banks set to sign up soon.
How many new banking hubs are planned?
THE first four banking hubs were successfully piloted in 2022 in Brixham, Cambuslang, Cottingham and Rochford.
More have since opened in Acton, Buckingham, Carnoustie and Troon and the following locations:
- Axminster, Devon
- Barnoldswick, Lancashire
- Barton, North Lincolnshire
- Belper, Derbyshire
- Brechin, Angus
- Bury Park, Bedfordshire
- Cambusland, South Lanarkshire
- Carnoustie, Angus
- Cheadle, Staffordshire
- Clay Cross, Derbyshire
- Downham Market, Norfolk
- Haslemere, Surrey
- Hornsea, East Yorkshire
- Horwich, Bolton
- Kilkeel, County Down
- Kilwinning, North Ayrshire
- Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway
- Knaresborough, Harrogate
- Looe, Cornwall
- Lutterworth, Leicestershire
- Maryport, Cumbria
- Newton Aycliffe, County Durham
- Prestatyn, Denbighshire
- Rochford, Essex
- Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire
- Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex
- Stapleford, Nottinghamshire
- Syston, Leicestershire
- Troon, South Ayrshire
- Welling, London
- Welshpool, Powys
Following further branch closures LINK, the UK's Cash Access and ATM network, has identified a further 83 locations which require banking hubs.
There are 63 banking hubs planned for England in:
- Acomb, York
- Alnwick, Northumberland
- Ampthill, Bedfordshire
- Bacup, Lancashire
- Batley, West Yorkshire
- Bodmin, Cornwall
- Bramhall, Greater Manchester
- Calne, Wiltshire
- Dartmouth, Devon
- Darwen, Lancashire
- Dawlish, Devon
- Dinnington, South Yorkshire
- Earlestown, Merseyside
- Elland, West Yorkshire
- Enfield North, Middlesex
- Ferryhill, County Durham
- Filey, North Yorkshire
- Great Harwood, Lancashire
- Harleston, Norfolk
- Hatfield, Hertfordshire
- Haverhill, Suffolk
- Helston, Cornwall
- Hessle, East Riding
- Heywood, Rochdale
- Holt, Norfolk
- Keynsham, Somerset
- Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire
- Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire
- Market Rasen, Lincolnshire
- Mildenhall, Suffolk
- Moreton, Birkenhead
- New Rossington, South Yorkshire
- Newland, Hull
- Oakham, Rutland
- Ossett, West Yorkshire
- Otley, West Yorkshire
- Pershore, Worcestershire
- Prescot, Merseyside
- Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester
- Richmond, North Yorkshire
- Royston, Hertfordshire
- Saltash, Cornwall
- Seaham, County Durham
- Sherborne, Dorset
- Shirebrook, Derbyshire
- Sidmouth, Devon
- South Elmsall, West Yorkshire
- Stalybridge, Greater Manchester
- Stone, Staffordshire
- Teignmouth, Devon
- Thorne, South Yorkshire
- Ulverston, Cumbria
- Ware, Hertfordshire
- Wath Upon Dearne, South Yorkshire
- Watton, Norfolk
- Wellington, Somerset
- West Drayton, Middlesex
- West Kirby, Wirral
- Westhoughton, Greater Manchester
- Wetherby, West Yorkshire
- Whitby, North Yorkshire
- Willesden Green, London
- Withernsea, East Yorkshire
Four more banking hubs are planned in Northern Ireland in:
- Comber, County Down
- Newcastle, County Down
- Portrush, County Antrim
- Warrenpoint, County Down
Nine more banking hubs are planned for Scotland in:
- Auchterarder, Perth and Kinross
- Burntisland, Fife
- Carluke, South Lanarkshire
- Crieff, Perth and Kinross
- Cumnock, East Ayrshire
- Forres, Moray
- Girvan, South Ayrshire
- Jedburgh, Scottish Borders
- Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway
Seven more banking hubs are planned for Wales in:
- Abergele, Conwy
- Abertillery, Blaenau Gwent
- Morriston, Swansea
- Mountain Ash, Mid Glamorgan
- Porthcawl, Glamorgan
- Risca, Caerphilly
- Treorchy, Rhondda Cynon Taf
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