UP to 400 jobs could be at risk at more than 80 TSB branches across the UK which will abandon physical premises next year.
TSB said that it was cutting back its locations to refocus on profits, and will invest in digital capabilities while customers move towards expecting self-service. As part of the plan, 82 branches will be shut next year leaving customers reliant on digital banking.
Staff will be told if their bank is affected in the coming days, and a full list of sites slated for closure will be published on Thursday.
The banks on the list employ around 300 to 400 people, chief executive Debbie Crosbie said yesterday. But she stressed that TSB would try to find them new roles within the group.
READ MORE: TSB lacked common sense in run-up to IT meltdown, report says
Many of them are older banks in less busy areas, and have been hard to adapt to modern banking. It has, for instance, been difficult to install WiFi and disabled access in some listed buildings. Adam Stachura, head of policy at Age Scotland, described the move as a “slap in the face to loyal bank customers, especially those who are older, disabled, or don’t have internet access”.
The bank must cut costs to compete with many of its peers, Crosbie said as she unveiled a wider plan to save around £100 million by 2022.
“There is no doubt we have got challenges to face. Put simply, the biggest barrier for TSB’s future is that we’re much more expensive to run than our competition,” Crosbie said.
TSB said it had twice the number of branches per 10,000 customers in 2018 than the UK average.
Earlier this year, the Federation of Small Businesses condemned TSB’s decision to close four branches and reduce opening hours at around 70 more in Scotland.
TSB expects 70% to 80% of its sales to come from digital channels by 2022, up from 46% in September this year.
The digital investment may be welcomed by customers who have faced problems with the banks' systems.
On Friday, account holders were left without their salaries as the bank failed to process overnight payments. Last year a major IT meltdown left nearly two million customers without access to their services. The scandal claimed the scalp of chief executive Paul Pester.
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