Banking

Full list of Scottish branch closures in 2023 as customers left in the lurch


Scottish bank customers are being left increasingly in the lurch as branches close and people are urged to “go online”. Around 460 branches have either shut or will shut across the UK this year.

That figure includes 19 in Scotland, with dozens having already closed over the last few years. In some cases, communities are being left with no alternative options for banking in person nearby and are facing either lengthy journeys or trying to carry out their business on apps or websites.



There have been warnings that the move away from branches will have a massive impact on the older population. According to the UK Government, the number of bank branches in the UK roughly halved from 1986 to 2014.

READ MORE: Is your HSBC bank closing? Full list of branches to go including those in Scotland

It is said banks take the decision to “increase their profitability and to redirect investment as customers increasingly shun physical branches and move to online banking” although some towns are getting so-called ‘banking hubs’ which allow some in-person transactions to take place on a limited basis. Scotland has been particularly hard hit by bank closures.

According to Which?, it was the first part of the UK to close half of its branches. Despite being bailed out by the taxpayer, Royal Bank of Scotland has closed 160 branches in Scotland since 2015. Bank of Scotland has shut 128 in that time. Glasgow North East – which includes areas with Dennistoun, Possilpark and Sighthill – is the worst impacted part of Scotland, having lost 100 per cent of its physical banking infrastructure





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