NatWest to close branches as digital banking grows

NatWest has announced it will close five of its branches in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

In East Yorkshire, the Willerby branch will close on 29 April. Goole will close on 14 May, Bridlington on 11 June, and Beverley on 25 June.

In Lincolnshire, the Louth branch will close on 28 May.

Explaining the closures, a spokesperson for the bank said customers were now "using digital banking more than ever before".

They said: "Over 80% of our active current account holders now use our digital services and over 97% of retail accounts with us are now opened online.

"Like any business, we strive to meet our customers' changing needs and expectations and we've been responding to the industry wide shift towards digital services by investing to broaden what customers can do themselves and to offer them greater personalisation.

"We are also significantly investing in refreshing our network – we expect to invest in excess of £20m in our network across the UK in 2025 to improve customer service, enhance the look and feel of our branches, and reduce the environmental impact of our buildings, as well as continuing to invest in shared solutions like the Post Office and Banking Hubs."

The spokesperson also acknowledged that not all people would find the closures easy to deal with, including elderly and vulnerable people, but added support would be available.

They said: "We know that a small number of people are not yet comfortable with it, which is why we are proactively reaching out to support them with this transition, having made over 200,000 calls last year.

"We also have experts that they can speak to for support and guidance."

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