19
Mar
Harrogate avoids Santander cull
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The Harrogate branch of Santander has been spared in a mass closure of branches.
Santander announced today it will close 95 UK branches to 'better serve the changing needs of its customers'. A total of 36 branches will also transition to reduced hours.
The bank said there has been a 63% increase in digital transactions since 2019, while in-branch transactions had decreased by 61% over the same period.
Of the 95, some notable locations were Glasgow, Tottenham and Dover. But Harrogate’s Cambridge Road branch was not on the list.
The bank said closed sites would be covered by new 'Santander community bankers’ who would visit local communities weekly to provide customer support.
Local banking hubs have also been established to help areas affected by bank closures, such as Knaresborough.
Santander said 93% of the UK population would continue to be within 10 miles of one of its branches.
A spokesperson said:
Our new combination of full-service branches, alongside Work Cafés, counter-free branches and reduced hours branches, aims to provide the right balance between digital banking and face-to-face money management and guidance.
Closing a branch is always a very difficult decision and we spend a great deal of time assessing where and when we do this and how to minimise the impact it may have on our customers.
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