Huntington Bank closes 26 branches – including nine in each Michigan and Minnesota – is your local branch on the chopping block?

Huntington Bank filed to its regulator last week applications to close 26 brick-and-mortar locations across the Midwest.

Of those filings, nine were for branches in each Michigan and Minnesota, five in Ohio, two in Illinois and one in Wisconsin, according to a weekly bulletin published Friday by Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

In terms of number of closure applications, Huntington was followed by Citizens Bank, which filed to close a total of six branches, two of which were in Newark, Delaware. Two of Huntington’s proposed closures were in Maplewood, Minnesota. 

In a statement to DailyMail.com, Huntington confirmed the closures and noted they were likely to come into effect at the beginning of next year. 

‘Huntington regularly reviews our distribution network and makes adjustments and improvements to ensure our mix of branches, ATMs, and online and mobile banking continue to meet our customers’ evolving needs,’ they wrote.

Huntington Bank filed applications to close 26 brick-and-mortar locations across the Midwest. Pictured is a Huntington Bank branch in Troy, Michigan

Citizens Bank filed to close a total of six branches, two of which were in Newark, Delaware. Pictured is a Citizens branch in Boston, Massachusetts

In total the OCC, to which most banks must register closures, reported that 38 banks under is jurisdiction had filed to close branches between October 8 and 14.

By comparison, it received just five notices of new branch establishments. TD Bank notified the agency that it would open five, while Bank of America and Chase said they would open two. One Texas National Bank application to open a branch was filed.

Data from S&P Global Market Intelligence shows a total of 1,144 national and regional banks were closed between January 1 and July 31 across 49 states – with firms pulling out of some areas at a faster rate than others.

Recent research by DailyMail.com found that New Jersey had seen the highest proportion of bank closures of any US state between January and August this year.

These most recent closures come after an exclusive poll by DailyMail.com revealed 51 percent of consumers said they were very or somewhat concerned about the declining number of bank branches.

The survey also found that brick-and-mortar services were less accessible to black Americans. While 14 percent of black Americans said they did not have a local branch, that was only the case for 8 percent of white Americans.

When banks close a branch, they must notify the OCC. In a statement to DailyMail.com in August, a spokesperson said: ‘The OCC understands the importance of bank branches and is committed to supporting access to banking services in all communities.’

They also noted that although banks and credit unions need to notify their ‘primary regulator of closures’, the statute that requires them to do so does not allow the regulator to object to the closure. 

It also noted that the OCC does not regulate all banks in the US and that banks have some freedom as to when the close a branch after making the filing.

‘Typically, notices appear when the transactions are effective, although branch closings usually appear when the OCC receives notice of the proposed closing,’ they said.