Opening hours are due to be slashed at three major UK banks, with all their 757 branches due to cut their hours. Lloyds, Halifax and the Bank of Scotland will cut their opening hours within days.
This comes after bank branches closures have affected the high street up and down the country. Fewer people are visiting physical bank branches, favouring instead banking apps, leaving banks with a reduced demand for in-person service.
Lloyds Banking Group, which operates Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland, is set to shake-up opening hours at all 757 of its branches from September 29.
Branches will be open later and close later under the new changes.
In the week, opening times will go from 9am to 9:30am, with an opening time of 10am on Wednesdays.
As for closing times, they will now happen between 3:30pm and 4:30pm rather than the usual 4:30pm and 5pm.
Due to the change in times, customers will now have less time to visit the bank should they need to access in person services.
On the weekend, Saturday hours will be reduced – new plans will see the branches open at 9:30am and shut at either 1pm or 3pm.
These changes will result in a net reduction of banking hours across the week, reports The Sun.
With more customers now using online banking, it may not be surprising to see hours being reduced. The change reflects a wider change in the industry.
If you rely on in-person banking, it’s important to check the new hours before making your planned trip to the bank to avoid disappointment.
A Lloyds spokesperson said: “We’re changing our branch opening hours to make it simpler and more consistent for our customers.
“We offer more choice for everyday banking than ever before – alongside our apps, customers can visit any Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland branch, and use banking services at their local Post Office or Banking Hub.”