First Niagara closing 4 branches in state

Says customers using mobile, online services

First Niagara Bank is closing 17 branches and two drive-up locations in four states, including four in Connecticut, as its customers make greater use of mobile and online banking.

The Buffalo-based bank announced the closings, which will occur in January, late on Friday. Accounts service by the branches that are closing will be transferred to nearby branches, according to bank officials.

Two of the Connecticut branches that are closing — one drive-up and one walk-in — are located in Manchester. The other two are in Vernon and the Westville section of New Haven.

The First Niagara branch in Westville, at 36 Fountain St., will be consolidated with the Woodbridge branch at 211 Amity Road.

“A majority of customers prefer online, mobile and ATMs for simple transactions and their use of these technologies is growing,” Mark Rendulic, First Niagara executive vice president, Consumer Financial Services, said in a statement. “Branches remain a critical part of our business; as customers value personal interaction for life-changing investments and more complex banking transactions. As customer preferences continue to change, we are committed to evolving our branch network and our inbranch services to keep pace with their needs.”

First Niagara officials say more than 200,000 of its customers use mobile banking applications while 50,000 make use of online services.

Banks officials are not saying how many First Niagara employees might lose their jobs as a result of the consolidation. Oliver Hays, a bank spokesman said employees of the branches that are being closed “will either transition to new, customer facing roles or will have an opportunity to apply for any of the more than 200 open positions across the company.”