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03/04/2014
RBS To Close 44 Branches
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has said it is to close a total of 44 branches across the UK.
It is understood the move is due to a 30% fall in branch transactions over the last four years.
Of the branches that are being closed, RBS has classed 14 of them as the "last banks in town". These are branches only open for a few hours a week, with only one or two customers an hour.
Despite the closures, the organisation has said most customers will still be just a few miles away from their nearest branch, with people still having access to services through the Post Office, cash machines which may be left open, or from a mobile branch.
In February, RBS said it was to close 18 branches in the UK, but this announcement of a further 26 closures takes the total number to 44.
A spokesperson for RBS said: "Banking has changed significantly over the last few years as more and more of our customers are banking with us where and when it is convenient for them.
"We have to adapt to what our customers want, which is why we're investing in a range of other ways our customers can bank with us, including online and telephone banking, our mobile app, and in any one of the Post Office's 11,500 branches across the UK."
However, the bank's announcement has been met with criticism.
Campaign group, Move Your Money, has said RBS has "consistently undermined the interests of its customers and wider society since being bailed out in 2008."
The group's campaign director, Charlotte Webster, continued: "It's no surprise, then, to see the bank let down its customers once again by upping sticks and leaving town – even where it's promised not to do so.
"14 of the 44 branches going are the last banks in town, and the Government is allowing this to happen. Banks of this scale just can't be trusted to take its customers needs into account, even when the only reason it's still around is because of our support."
(JP/MH)
It is understood the move is due to a 30% fall in branch transactions over the last four years.
Of the branches that are being closed, RBS has classed 14 of them as the "last banks in town". These are branches only open for a few hours a week, with only one or two customers an hour.
Despite the closures, the organisation has said most customers will still be just a few miles away from their nearest branch, with people still having access to services through the Post Office, cash machines which may be left open, or from a mobile branch.
In February, RBS said it was to close 18 branches in the UK, but this announcement of a further 26 closures takes the total number to 44.
A spokesperson for RBS said: "Banking has changed significantly over the last few years as more and more of our customers are banking with us where and when it is convenient for them.
"We have to adapt to what our customers want, which is why we're investing in a range of other ways our customers can bank with us, including online and telephone banking, our mobile app, and in any one of the Post Office's 11,500 branches across the UK."
However, the bank's announcement has been met with criticism.
Campaign group, Move Your Money, has said RBS has "consistently undermined the interests of its customers and wider society since being bailed out in 2008."
The group's campaign director, Charlotte Webster, continued: "It's no surprise, then, to see the bank let down its customers once again by upping sticks and leaving town – even where it's promised not to do so.
"14 of the 44 branches going are the last banks in town, and the Government is allowing this to happen. Banks of this scale just can't be trusted to take its customers needs into account, even when the only reason it's still around is because of our support."
(JP/MH)
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