NatWest has confirmed it will be permanently closing its only Aberdeen branch on January 18.
A total of 43 branches will be shut across the UK as the company transitions its banking services online.
This includes all of the remaining Natwest branches across Scotland, located in Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Ayr. They will all close in January 2023.
The UK’s second biggest lender said the vast majority of its retail banking services can be done digitally and it is the quicker and easier way to bank.
NatWest added that average counter transactions had shrunk by nearly two-thirds between January 2019 and January 2022.
It saw a 39% rise in customers using mobile apps during the same period.
In Aberdeen, counter transactions decreased by 52% with just one personal customer using the branch on a regular basis in 2021.
NatWest said it will contact its vulnerable customers to provide support following the announcement.
Ensuring ‘no-one is left behind’
The group acknowledged some customers might be worried by the closure of their local branch, particularly if they are uncomfortable or unable to use online banking.
A NatWest spokesman said: “As with many industries, most of our customers are shifting to mobile and online banking because it is faster and easier for people to manage their financial lives.
“We understand and recognise that digital solutions aren’t right for everyone or every situation, and that when we close branches we have to make sure that no-one is left behind.
“We take our responsibility seriously to support the people who face challenges in moving online, so we are investing to provide them with support and alternatives that work for them.”
NatWest has invested in a partnership with Post Office so people can still access cash and face-to-face services.
The Castlegate and St Nicholas Post Office counters are located less than a mile away from the closing branch.
Just six jobs are expected to be put at risk as part of the closures, indicating most branch staff will be offered the opportunity to take up a role in a different branch or another part of the business.
Calls to reconsider decision
Aberdeen Central MSP Kevin Stewart has written to Natwest chiefs asking them to re-think their decision.
He has highlighted the impact the closure will have on older people, small businesses and those unable to reach alternative branches.
Mr Stewart said: “This is yet another branch closure in our city which inevitably hits older people and small businesses the hardest.
“It’s all well and good to highlight RBS branches that can be used, but given their own closures it will still leave many in a difficult situation with no Natwest presence in the city and restricted access to banking services.
“The cost of living crisis has seen an increase in the use of cash and we know how important local branches are to small businesses and older folks who still require face to face services.
“There is time for NatWest to reflect and reconsider this decision and I hope they do just that.”
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