Customers of Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland will be able to use the branches of any brand for in-person banking as the group continues to shake up its branch network, raising concerns among unions over potential further closures.
Lloyds Banking Group, which owns all three brands, said the changes were good news for customers as it gives them more choice and flexibility. But the move raised some concerns that it could trigger a fresh wave of branch closures.
Nationwide Building Society recently revealed that they had seen a 16 per cent rise in non-Nationwide clients using their ATMs to withdraw cash, partly as a result of branch closures by banks.
A spokesperson for Lloyds said: “We’re always looking for ways to make banking easier and more flexible for our customers so, from later this year, we’ll offer customers of Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland the option to use branches of any brand for their in-person banking, alongside our apps, mobile messaging, and telephone services.”
Call centre staff for the banking group currently help customers of all brands who contact for support.
The changes will mean some customers may have access to a branch that is closer to their home because they will be able to access face-to-face banking regardless of the brand.
Lloyds has not yet confirmed a date for the shake-up but it is due to come into effect later in 2025.
However, an independent trade union for Lloyds employees, BTU, warned that the decision could pave the way for the bank to shut more of its high-street sites.
BTU said a separate presentation, seen by the union, showed that a quarter of its branch network shares the same location.
This could therefore prompt closures in areas where there is currently more than one Lloyds brand with an open branch, the union said in a message to members.
It is understood that BTU is not recognised as an official union so its members do not engage with Lloyds.
Lloyds has announced a raft of branch closures in recent years as it homes in on digital banking, which is used by some 22 million customers, while it says in-person banking use has fallen sharply. The latest batch of closures will see 55 branches leave high streets in locations across the UK this year.
