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14
Nov 2022
Last Updated: 14/11/2022
Halifax closure leaves Ripon with one remaining bank
This time last year, Ripon had three high street banks — after today that number reduces to one.
The former Halifax building in Ripon.
Following this afternoon's closure of the Halifax, Ripon will have one remaining bank and no access outside shopping hours to city centre cash machines.
The closure comes less than three months after the long-established Barclays branch closed its doors on August 25, leaving HSBC - which has no external cash machine - as Ripon's only bank.
The Barclays bank Ripon branch closed in August.
Cash machines are available during shopping hours at Sainsbury's on Market Place East and Booths at the Marshall Way Retail Park.
Announcing its branch closure in July, Halifax said in a statement:
“Like many other high street businesses, we’ve seen people using our branches less frequently in recent years as more customers choose to do most of their everyday banking online.
“We’re responding to the way our customers use our branches. We’ll continue to invest in our branch network, but we have to make sure our branches are where customers need and use them most.
“As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to close this branch because customers are using it less often. In addition the majority of customers are also using alternative ways to bank.”
A report produced by Barclays in May to explain the rationale behind its closure decision, showed that more than 3,000 customers visited regularly for personal or business banking purposes in the last year.
But the bank added that only 121 customers use the branch exclusively for banking. Eighty percent of customers also use online and telephone banking.
The report said 41% of Ripon customers also use nearby branches, such as Harrogate and Thirsk.
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