Overview
- NatWest confirmed two further closures on September 11 — Birmingham Edgbaston and Cardiff Llanishen — with additional September shutdown dates published across England and Wales.
- The lender plans to close 55 locations in 2025, comprising 52 high-street branches and three mobile banking vans.
- A NatWest spokesperson said over 80% of active current account holders use digital services and more than 97% of retail accounts are opened online.
- NatWest says it will run community pop-ups for up to 12 weeks after closures and expects to invest over £20m in its UK branch network this year, alongside Post Office and Banking Hub arrangements.
- Industry retrenchment continues, with Which? counting 6,522 closures since 2015, Lloyds/Halifax/Bank of Scotland shortening branch hours from September 25, and HSBC, Nationwide, Metro Bank and Barclays pledging no new closures in the near term.