British banks close 14 branches: which cities are losing offices.

According to The Sun: Two British banks are closing 14 of their branches this week as part of ongoing closures across the UK.

The financial institutions explain that more and more customers prefer to manage their finances online through mobile apps rather than visiting physical branches.

NatWest and Halifax are closing their branches in the cities of Luton, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Morecambe, with four of these branches closing as soon as today.

The Halifax closures are part of a wider reform by Lloyds Banking Group. Customers can visit other Lloyds Bank or Bank of Scotland branches.

Halifax said it 'may sometimes' send a local banker to the area or arrange a Banking Hub or Deposit Service nearby after a branch closure.

NatWest offers similar alternatives, including Local pop-ups in some regions for up to 12 weeks after closure, as well as mobile branches that visit specific locations up to five days a week.

According to Metro, a NatWest representative stated that over 80% of their customers use digital services, and more than 97% of retail accounts are opened online.

This year, 54 branches will close, and since 2015, the NatWest group, which includes the Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank, has closed 1,409 branches.

Branch closures are occurring against the backdrop of recent announcements by banks intending to close even more of their offices in the coming weeks and months.

Only in September, 26 NatWest branches and 13 Halifax branches will close.

These closures are also scheduled for October and November as banks seek to adapt to customers' shift to online and mobile banking.

Banks such as NatWest and Lloyds have also confirmed intentions for additional closures, some of which are already scheduled for 2026.

Bank of Scotland

Bank of Scotland is closing five of its branches in the remaining months of 2025.

Closures for Lloyds and Halifax have also been confirmed for the next year.

Santander

Santander plans to close about one-fifth of its branches as part of a major cost-saving program.

The bank has confirmed the closure of 19 branches after 14 of them already closed in August.

The branch in Surrey Quays will close on November 10, while the closure dates for other branches have yet to be confirmed.

Santander also noted that 93% of the UK population will remain within 10 miles of a branch.

Wider trends

As of December last year, 64% of the branches opened at the beginning of 2015 have already closed.

The peak of closures occurred in 2017 when 867 outlets were closed across the UK - more than 70 each month, while in 2018 there were 792 closures.

NatWest branch closures this week:

1. Leagrave, Luton – September 15
2. Weston Favell Shopping Centre, Northampton – September 15
3. Acocks Green, Birmingham – September 16
4. Canton, Cardiff – September 16
5. Cirencester – September 17
6. Hinckley – September 17
7. Wickford – September 18

Halifax branch closures this week:

1. Epsom – September 15
2. Morecambe – September 15
3. Monmouth – September 16
4. Richmond – September 16
5. Thetford – September 17
6. Eccles – September 18
7. Long Eaton – September 18

Branch closures are driven by overall trends in the banking sector as more customers turn to digital channels. In response to these changes, banks are adapting their structures, which in turn may impact the availability of financial services to the public. In the future, it will be important to observe how changes in banking infrastructure affect consumers and regions where branches suffer the most losses.