Nat West bank in Heywood to close

The National Westinster bank in Heywood will close on 5 August 2015.

It is understood that the number of transactions taking place at the branch has dropped by 31% since 2011 and only 65 customers use the branch on a regular weekly basis – 38 of those customers already use other branches in the area.

A spokesperson for Nat West said: “We have taken the difficult decision to close the Nat West Heywood branch on the 5 August 2015.

"We are working hard to ensure there are a number of alternative ways for people in the area to continue to bank with us.

“We are committed to following the UK Government protocol on branch closures, and we have made the decision following careful consideration of a wide range of factors including branch usage and the alternative ways our customers can bank with us locally.

“Our customers are increasingly using alternative ways to bank with them such as online and mobile banking. As a result, branch transactions have declined by around 36% since 2010 whilst online and mobile transactions have grown by more than 300%. Only 9% of their total transactions are now undertaken in branches in comparison to 25% in 2010.

“We are writing to all of our customers who use the branch, as well as displaying posters in branch to let them know of the closure. Between now and the closure date, we will engage with all of our customers, local businesses and the wider local community to make sure they are aware of the alternative ways of accessing their banking with us in the local area, and to answer any questions they might have.”

Once the closure is in place, Nat West customers will have a number of other options to allow them to continue banking with the branch.

The company has reached an agreement with the local Post Office, which is located 0.04 miles away from the branch, so that customers can check their balance, deposit and withdraw funds and business customers can get coinage.

There are also more than 10 free to use ATMs within one mile of the branch and NatWest has four other branches within six miles of the Heywood branch.

The nearest branch to Heywood is now in Middleton – 3.3 miles away.