BREAKING: Horncastle's NatWest branch to close
A spokesman from the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which owns NatWest, said: “We have taken the difficult decision to close the NatWest Horncastle branch on September 26, 2017.”
He explained: “The way people choose to bank with us has changed radically over the last few years.
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Hide Ad“Between 2010 and 2015, mobile and online transactions have increased by over 400% and mobile transactions alone have increased by 1,350%.
“Since 2011 we have seen the number of transactions in the Horncastle branch decline by 32%. These customers are actively choosing to bank in different ways, with 57.4% of customers choosing to use our digital banking options.
“We are communicating with our customers affected by the closure and proactively contacting vulnerable and regular branch customers.
“We have listened closely to feedback from local communities and have extended the time between announcing our decision and the branch closure to six months. This has been done in order to ensure our customers have time to consider the right banking options for them.
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Hide Ad“We know that not all of our customers are comfortable and familiar with using online or mobile banking, so we have created a new specialist taskforce of NatWest TechXperts who will be dedicated to supporting our customers with training and support with digital skills.
“We are following the ‘Access to Banking’ protocol and we have made the decision after careful consideration of a wide range of factors, including regular branch usage and the alternative ways our customers can bank with us. We provide a range of alternative ways to bank, tailored to the needs of our customers and reflective of the way they live their lives.”
These alternative options will include online and mobile, telephony, the Post Office, local ATMs, and Natwest TechXpert (which will offer training and support with digital skills until the branch closes).
After September, the nearest NatWest branch for residents will in Louth’s Market Place - approximately 14 miles away from Horncastle.