VANISHING BANKS

An average of 11 bank branches per week have announced plans to close since the launch of an initiative to protect access to cash on the high street

- By RICHARD AULT

MORE than 2,000 UK banks have either shuttered or announced plans to close since the launch of an initiative designed to protect access to cash on the high street.

Since February 2022, the closure of 2,209 bank branches across the UK has been announced. That's an average of around 11 closure announcements per week, or 49 per month.

In November alone, 24 banks are scheduled to shut, including 16 Lloyds branches.

By the end of December, 520 banks will have closed in 2025, with another 71 banks already scheduled to shut in 2026, and 55 more due to close at a date yet to be announced.

Of the major banks, Lloyds has seen the most closure announcements with 460, followed by Barclays (413), NatWest (350), and Halifax (347).

The closures have affected every part of the UK, with Scotland losing 231 banks, Wales 133, and Ireland 57.