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Santander, NatWest, Lloyds and Halifax to Shut 52 UK Branches by End of May

Banks credit a move to online banking for the latest cuts.

Overview

  • Four major lenders will close 52 branches in May, with new lists naming specific locations and dates across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
  • Santander has 27 closures scheduled in May, including 12 this week, after completing its £2.65bn TSB purchase on April 30.
  • NatWest will close 15 sites by the end of May, with dates spread across the month in areas such as London, Manchester, Orpington and Portishead.
  • Lloyds will shut eight branches in May and has published a separate list of 37 Lloyds sites set to close in June, following its February decision to cut 95 across Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland; Halifax will close two London branches in late May.
  • Banks say falling branch use and growth in mobile and online banking drive the changes, and they point customers to options such as community bankers, PayPoint, reduced-hour or counter-free sites and Santander Locals, while Which? counts 6,719 UK branch closures since 2015.