THE KNOWLE branch of NatWest bank is set to close its doors next summer.
The service will close on June 26 after what representatives called a “difficult decision”.
After the closure, the nearest branch for residents to access will be the service in Station Road in central Solihull.
The shutting down of the Knowle branch will cost several jobs and leave residents with the choice of travelling further to consult in person, or making the switch to online banking.
The bank has assured residents affected by the closure that they will introduce ‘community bankers’ and a specialist task force of technology experts to prepare people for the closure.
NatWest issued a statement saying: “The way people bank with us has changed radically over the last few years.
“Since 2014, the number of customers using our branches across the UK has fallen by 40 per cent. During the same period mobile transactions have increased by 73 per cent.
“Since 2012 we have seen the way in which people use the Knowle branch change dramatically, with now 87 per cent of customers already banking in other ways locally.
“Transactions in branch have reduced by 22 per cent since 2012 with now only 49 customers visiting the branch on a weekly basis.
“63 per cent of customers are now choosing to bank digitally with us on a regular basis instead.
“We are communicating with our customers affected by the closure and proactively contacting vulnerable customers and regular branch users.
“We have extended the time between announcing our decision and the branch closure to six months; this has been done so that we can ensure our customers have enough time to consider the right banking options for them and to give us time to support them one-to-one during the transition.”
