HUNDREDS of UK bank branches closed their doors for good in 2024, with almost 200 locations set for closure this year.
Eight bank branches have closed across Gwent and South Wales this year, marking another year with bank companies seemingly citing an increase in people using mobile banking or online applications instead of visiting a physical branch as the reasons behind the increasing closures.
As part of the banks ‘branch closure review’ , one of the banks closing branches this year, TSB, said the reasoning for closing the branches was due to “the way customers bank with us is changing”.
This was reflected in the reasoning given by all the other major banking companies.
Barclays, NatWest, Halifax, and Lloyds are among the major banks that have shut bank branches across South Wales this year.
Branches in Abergavenny and Barry are among those that have closed this year.
All of the businesses have cited the increase in the number of people banking online rather than in person as one of the reasons behind the new list of branch closures.
Included in the list of planned closures for 2024 were 60 Lloyds branches, 47 Halifax branches, 34 Barclays branches, and 27 Natwest branches, as a total of 189 branches of banks closed across the whole of the UK this year.
The following eight branches all closed in South Wales over the past 12 months:
Barclays
Abergavenny – 57 Frogmore Street, Abergavenny, Wales. This branch closed on Friday, March 1.
Blackwood – 85 High Street, Blackwood, Wales. This branch closed on Friday, March 22.
Halifax
Barry – 91 Holton Road, Barry, Wales. This branch closed on Monday, March 18.
Porthcawl – 32 John Street, Porthcawl, Wales. This branch closed on Tuesday, March 26.
Lloyds
Llantwit Major – 9 Boverton Road, Llantwit Major, Wales. This branch closed on Thursday, February 8.
NatWest
Pontypridd – 1 Taff Street, Pontypridd, Wales. This branch closed on Thursday, February 29.
TSB
Carmarthen – 5 Blue Street, Carmarthen, Wales. This branch closed on Tuesday, September 17.
Cwmbran – 7 General Rees Square, Cwmbran, Wales. This branch closed on Wednesday, September 18.