How customers do their everyday banking continues to change, with more and more people being less reliant on high street banks
A number of branches of Santander are closing in Wales(Image: PA)
Nine bank branches will close down in Wales this summer as the big banks continue their retreat from the High Street.
Analysis of official data shows that a total of 138 branches will be shut down between June and August across the whole of the UK, with Santander leading the way. 13 banks will close during August, all but one of them branches of Santander, after the banking giant announced it was shutting 95 banks earlier this year. It follows the loss of 84 banks in June and 41 in July.
In Wales, the Santander in High Street, Holywell, will close its doors for the final time on Wednesday, August 13. It follows the closure of three banks in July, the Santander branches in Caernarfon and Colwyn Bay, and the Halifax in Pontypridd. For money-saving tips, sign up to our Money newsletter here.
The remaining five banks all vanished in June. Branches of Santander closed in Blackwood, Aberdare and Brecon, and branches of Lloyds in Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, and Tonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taf.
You can find out if any branches are due to close near you using our interactive map.
Since a voluntary agreement saw the major banking groups commit to assessing the impact of every closure in February 2022, 1,879 bank branches have shut or announced their intention to close. That’s an average of around 50 closures announced per month or 12 per week.
The LINK initiative to assess the impact of closures – which was agreed by all the major banks including Barclays, HSBC, Natwest, Lloyds, and Halifax – was set up to ensure vulnerable customers and small businesses were not left behind in the switch to cashless payments and virtual banking.
When closures leave communities without any local bank, banking hubs or free ATMs are set up to fill the gap.
Below is a list of all the Welsh banks due to close this summer:
- Santander, 148 High Street, Blackwood, Wales
- Santander, 17 Victoria Square, Aberdare, Wales
- Santander, 18 High Street, Brecon, Wales
- Lloyds, 35 Dimond Street, Pembroke Dock, Wales
- Lloyds, 33 Dunraven Street, Tonypandy, Wales
- Santander, 1 Bridge Street, Caernarfon, Wales
- Santander, 16 Penrhyn Road, Colwyn Bay, Wales
- Halifax, 2/3 Mill Street, Pontypridd, Wales
- Santander, 69 High Street, Holywell, Wales
In a statement made earlier this year, a spokesperson for Santander said: “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.”