NatWest to close its last two branches in the borough

Photo: Google, DigitalGlobe

Natwest on Packer Street

Rochdale and Middleton are to follow Heywood in losing their NatWest Bank, as part of a nationwide shutdown of NatWest branches.

It was announced this week that the popular bank will close Rochdale in June, and Middleton in April, as part of 53 new closures.

The move, they say, is to keep in line with a shift in customers wanting to bank online.  The Heywood branch closed around 10 years ago and the Middleton and Rochdale branches will follow on these dates:

• Middleton - 30 April 2025
• Rochdale - 10 June 2025

A spokesperson for NatWest said: "Our customers are using digital banking more than ever before – over 80% of our active current account holders now use our digital services and over 97% of retail accounts with us are now opened online."

They added, "Like any business, we strive to meet our customers' changing needs and expectations and we've been responding to the industry wide shift towards digital services by investing to broaden what customers can do themselves and to offer them greater personalisation."

"We are also significantly investing in refreshing our network – we expect to invest in excess of £20m in our network across the UK in 2025 to improve customer service, enhance the look and feel of our branches, and reduce the environmental impact of our buildings, as well as continuing to invest in shared solutions like the Post Office and Banking Hubs."