This due to increase in online banking
Another bank has decided to close some of its regional branches.
TSB bank said it is closing its Ĺpunake and Eltham branches in Taranaki as well as five others in Newmarket, NorthWest, Napier, Nelson, and Palmerston North, due to increase in online banking.
According to a statement by Gordon Davidson, TSB acting CEO, the change was due to the increasing use of online banking by customers rather than in-person, Stuff reported.
Davidson did not say how many jobs were impacted.
“We are working with our affected people to find new opportunities across the bank wherever possible,” Davidson said. “We recognise that any change can be difficult. These decisions have not been made lightly, and we’re working hard to ensure our people and customers are proactively informed and supported.”
Phil Nixon, South Taranaki District mayor, found the news about the two branch closures in the region disheartening.
“It’s very disappointing for the community, it really is,” Nixon said. “Older people and those who are not into technology need that service, they love that face-to-face service. Older people worry about scams – and they need to – but when they can go into a branch and deal with someone face to face, they know it is secure.”
Mark Bellringer, Eltham resident and South Taranaki District councillor, said branch closures around the country seemed inevitable.
“It’s a pity we have lost our last bank in Eltham. We still have the branch in Stratford, but this is going to affect a lot of older people in Eltham,” Bellringer told Stuff.
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