Town RBS branch to close this November
ROYAL Bank of Scotland’s Runcorn branch will close on Tuesday, November 6, as the bank closes 162 branches nationwide.
Nearly 800 jobs are to be lost, with Greater Manchester and North Cheshire bearing the brunt of the closures after the bank shelved plans to launch a new challenger bank, Williams & Glyn, last week.
The Runcorn bank is located in Shopping City.
An RBS spokesman said: “We have taken the difficult decision to close the Royal Bank of Scotland Runcorn branch on November 6, 2018. The Royal Bank of Scotland in England & Wales was due to be divested and launched as a separate ‘challenger bank’, under the brand name, Williams & Glyn.
“Although part of RBS Group, this network operated with a different strategy for customers, with the intention that it would become a completely separate bank.
“As Williams & Glyn is no longer launching as a separate brand, we have reviewed our overall branch network strategy; taking in to consideration that our customers are choosing to do more of their banking on their mobile phone or online, and that we now have two branch networks close to each other: Nat- ● West and Royal Bank of Scotland, in England & Wales.
“We have developed technology which means that customers of Royal Bank Of Scotland can also now use NatWest branches for their everyday banking, such as withdrawing cash, checking balances or paying in (and vice versa). Additionally, personal and business customers will be able to access a range of services at either a Royal Bank Of Scotland or NatWest branch, including payments, international services, account detail changes and mandates. In order to support our Royal Bank of Scotland customers with these services and their banking needs, we will dedicate members of staff to nearby NatWest branches to offer assistance.”
RBS said that since 2014, branch transactions across are down 30%, while during the same period, there has been a 53% increase in the number of customers using mobile banking and mobile transactions have increased by 74%.
Transactions at Runcorn have reduced by 48% since 2012 with only 31 customers now visiting the branch on a regular weekly basis.
RBS said: “We expect these branch closures to result in around 792 roles being made redundant.
“We are doing everything we can to support those affected.”
Robert Downes, Federation Of Small Businesses (FSB) development manager for Greater Manchester and North Cheshire, said: “This fresh round of closures will hurt high streets all over the North West, at a time when thousands of small firms are already struggling.
“When a bank branch goes it means less footfall, less cash in the local economy and less revenue for local small firms as a result.
“If firms can’t easily deposit takings it makes them targets for theft.
“Many small business owners have built up relationships with branch personnel that go back years – that’s not something that can be replaced by an app.”