Halifax is closing 15 branches across the UK in the next 10 weeks, it has been confirmed. It comes as the Halifax brand is changing to Lloyds, with the vast majority of Halifax branches either rebranding to Lloyds or closing. Customers will be contacted directly by Halifax if there are any changes to their branch. Campaigners have shared concerns over accessibility to services for older and vulnerable customers. The Civil Service Pensioners’ Alliance said the closures are “creating real barriers to everyday financial independence” for thousands of pensioners, noting that many still rely on face-to-face banking.
Several other UK banks that are undertaking a wave of closures, with NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander, and Lloyds having all closed branches across the UK, while Barclays has announced plans to open more.
Halifax is one of Britain’s best-known banking brands and was founded in West Yorkshire in 1853. Halifax announced just weeks ago that it was phasing out the brand after 173 years. Lloyds Banking Group has owned Halifax since 2009 and confirmed the move.
Lloyds Banking Group’s chief executive of consumer relationships, Jas Singh, said at the time: “As Halifax changes to Lloyds, our Halifax customers will keep everything they know and love today – the same fantastic app design, the same friendly faces in our branches – even the same sort code and account number.”
Halifax had closed 25 branches throughout June. It said in response to closures: “Branch decisions are based on a range of factors, including how customers are choosing to bank and the availability of nearby services. You can find information about branch closures and alternative banking options here.”
The bank is set to close more branches in October and November.