NatWest to close a further 43 branches

NatWest is closing a further 43 branches just days after the financial regulator toughened its guidance on closures. The latest closures, which include branches in Scotland, Yorkshire and south-east England, follow NatWest’s announcement in February that it would close 32 branches. The FCA has said that in the event of branch closures, banks must continue to support people and businesses who rely on cash and banking services, especially those in vulnerable circumstances. Which? said NatWest will have closed 1,191 branches, the most of any banking group. Lloyds, which includes Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, has shut 826 branches, with the figure due to rise to 924 in 2023. Barclays is the individual bank that has reduced its network the most and is scheduled to have closed 956 branches by the end of this year. The Times (£) The Guardian