Natwest Commits £50m as Bank Of Scotland Branch Closures Loom
Natwest is moving on bank of scotland branch closures with a £50m investment in its branch network over the next 18 months, while closing nine branches as part of the revamp. The bank has also pledged not to close any more branches until at least 2029, setting a floor under its physical footprint after years of contraction.
Solange Chamberlain, chief executive of retail banking at Natwest, said the bank would invest “to offer customers a seamless mix of ways to bank with us”. For customers who still rely on in-person banking, that means nine fewer locations in the near term but no broader closure programme beyond those sites before 2029 at the earliest.
Natwest’s 366-branch footprint
366 branches remain in Natwest’s network, after the bank shuttered more than 1,000 sites in the last decade. The latest plan reverses part of that shrinkage with fresh capital, but it also shows the bank is still trimming selected locations while keeping the rest open for longer.
9 closures are the final branch shutdowns Natwest now expects until 2029 at the earliest. That gives the bank a longer runway than lenders that are still cutting back, and it gives branch-dependent customers a clearer window on when the network is likely to change again.
Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds
More than 1,200 branches have closed at Barclays over the last decade, and the lender made a similar pledge earlier this year while saying it plans to expand its network. HSBC has pledged to keep its 327 branches open until at least 2027, while Nationwide has promised no closures until 2030.
95 sites were the latest cuts Lloyds set out in February, a move that would leave it with 610 sites, down from around 1,500 a decade ago. Against that backdrop, Natwest’s £50m spend looks less like expansion for expansion’s sake and more like a bid to keep branch banking viable while the rest of the sector keeps reducing its estate.
Mobile vans and face-to-face access
Natwest also operates the UK’s only mobile branch service, using specialised bank vans on set routes to rural, remote, or underserved communities. That adds a practical backstop for places that may not keep a full branch nearby, especially as the government review into face-to-face banking services gathers evidence on the real-world impact of branch closures and identifies those most affected.
For customers, the immediate shift is simple: nine branches are going, £50m is going into the network, and the bank is promising no further closures until at least 2029. That leaves the next pressure point not on the closure count, but on whether the remaining branch and mobile services can carry the customers the bank says it wants to serve.
