Nationwide's branch pledge

NATIONWIDE has announced it will continue to keep every one of its 696 Nationwide and Virgin Money branches open until at least 2030, despite many other banks closing theirs.

- COREENA FORD Business writer [e-mail]

The pledge extends its existing Branch Promise by at least another two years, with bosses confirming that the commitment applies even when a Nationwide branch and a Virgin Money branch are close to each other.

The announcement follows a continuous wave of closures across UK towns, with figures from consumer group Which? showing 6,561 branches have been closed in the last 10 years.