[arista]

[Royal Bank of Scotland is to close 259 branches - a quarter of its network - in a move expected
to result in 680 job losses.
The group, which remains 72% taxpayer-owned after its rescue during the
financial crisis, said 62 locations in Scotland under its RBS brand would shut,
as well as 197 NatWest sites in England and Wales.
It blamed the decision on the increasing shift to online and mobile banking.]


https://news.sky.com/story/natwest-a...-jobs-11150947
click the LONG link to see if its yours.
Long NatWest first
then
Long RBS 2nd.

Ref: SkyNewsHD and 5:30PM Ch5HDnews

[Crimson Dynamo]

yep the Bank of Scotland closed a few years ago in the valley and now the RBS is going and the one in the next valley up so nearest bank will be 35 miles away.a shame for the girls who work there.

[arista]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

yep the Bank of Scotland closed a few years ago in the valley and now the RBS is going and the one in the next valley up so nearest bank will be 35 miles away.a shame for the girls who work there.

Yes and the Old Folk that use them.

[user104658]

There's no bank at all in my village (the only one closed a couple of years ago) and now the nearest town is losing its BoS and RBS... Which I think will leave just the TSB and Santander.

That said, I can see why, as I haven't set foot in a physical bank for years. I do all of my banking online and the shop banks at the post-office (which used to be a large standalone place but is now a counter tucked away at the back of an off-licence )

[Crimson Dynamo]

as arista says lots of older folk like to visit the bank

but things change so

[bots]

The RBS are still recovering from all the illegal dealings it was involved in, not even related to the recession. Of course I feel sorry for the local office staff affected, but senior management have been willfully negligent for years.

[Brillopad]

Originally Posted by arista

Yes and the Old Folk that use them.

It isn’t just ‘old folk’ that use them. Just an idea but perhaps there would be less identity theft if more people did use them. I feel there is a direct link between identity theft and doing everything online, including banking.

Personally when I buy online I use a credit card rather than a debit card - more protection in my opinion.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Isaiah 7:14

as arista says lots of older folk like to visit the bank

but things change so

They'll be dead soon though . Gotta think ahead.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Brillopad

It isn’t just ‘old folk’ that use them. Just an idea but perhaps there would be less identity theft if more people did use them. I feel there is a direct link between identity theft and doing everything online, including banking.

Personally when I buy online I use a credit card rather than a debit card - more protection in my opinion.

Yes Brillo you're right, we should actually do away with currency altogether and go back to a simple barter system which was much better. Bob will clean my windows and I will give his wife a dozen fresh eggs laid by my hens, which were in turn given to me by my neighbour for fixing his fence. No one can identity thieve my chicken barter system, its unhackable , so...

[bots]

old folks are a lot more clued up than is being implied here. The days of them queuing up for their pensions are long gone, cash machines have been around for many decades. People dont need to go to the bank now because its rare you need to speak to anyone in person. Banking decisions on loans etc are no longer made locally, so a local staffed bank is just not necessary

[user104658]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

old folks are a lot more clued up than is being implied here. The days of them queuing up for their pensions are long gone, cash machines have been around for many decades. People dont need to go to the bank now because its rare you need to speak to anyone in person. Banking decisions on loans etc are no longer made locally, so a local staffed bank is just not necessary

I think part of the argument is that the older people like to go there for a bit of human interaction because they're lonely; but to me, if that's true, it's indicative of a much bigger problem? It's a very sad situation if the elderly are relying on shop staff for company because they're so lonely. I mean yes, customer service staff are going to be (mostly) friendly and will even get to know customers over time, but at the end of the day, it's a transaction not a real interaction. There has to be a better way of ensuring that the elderly have access to meaningful social interaction .

Also there is still SOME local aspect to loans; one of my friends works in a branch discussing loans with people and is authorized to give them out up to Ł25k, with a higher likelihood of acceptance than if you were to apply online (I suppose because, they can go into much more depth about what it's needed for, and also get a better idea of what the applicant is like). However, I would imagine it's not entirely in his hands and there are some "red flags" that would result in a "computer says no" situation (like CCJ's etc.)... however, it makes it far less reliant on the basic "credit score" system, because he actually sits and manually goes through the report with the applicant and they get the opportunity to explain more "minor" things that have wrecked the score - e.g. a few months of missed or late payments on several accounts due to an emergency situation, or a default that was unavoidable and explainable. Both can trash the "score" on an otherwise glowing credit report and will result in a flat "no" from automated applications.

However... for that sort of service, there's really no need for small town / village branches, and having a physical branch in more major population centers is fine in the UK. Realistically... in the UK you're never THAT far from a large town or city... and anyone who is looking for that sort of personal or business loan can travel to a branch. It's not "everyday banking".

[smudgie]

We love having a bank to go into to do business.
Same bank for many decades, always very helpful when needed.
No risk of the computers going down and not getting standing orders paid or not getting access to your wages.
I can just see the computer lending me Ł15k at the drop of a hat on terms I propose.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Brillopad

It isn’t just ‘old folk’ that use them. Just an idea but perhaps there would be less identity theft if more people did use them. I feel there is a direct link between identity theft and doing everything online, including banking.

Personally when I buy online I use a credit card rather than a debit card - more protection in my opinion.

Of Course not just the old.

[bots]

Originally Posted by NanaChristmas

We love having a bank to go into to do business.
Same bank for many decades, always very helpful when needed.
No risk of the computers going down and not getting standing orders paid or not getting access to your wages.
I can just see the computer lending me Ł15k at the drop of a hat on terms I propose.

you can do it over the phone though, people can still get preferential deals based on their circumstances with a phone call

[smudgie]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

you can do it over the phone though, people can still get preferential deals based on their circumstances with a phone call

Hmmmm, when they don't work and only income is PIP.
Looks like I can go on a really mad spending spree then.

[Brillopad]

Originally Posted by NanaChristmas

Hmmmm, when they don't work and only income is PIP.
Looks like I can go on a really mad spending spree then.

I love a spending spree - until the guilt sets in!

[smudgie]

Originally Posted by Brillopad

I love a spending spree - until the guilt sets in!

tell me about it.
I am being careful this xmas.....but already knowing I have gone over the set budget for presents
Hoping I don't have to dip into the Ł15 grand loan

[Brillopad]

Originally Posted by NanaChristmas

tell me about it.
I am being careful this xmas.....but already knowing I have gone over the set budget for presents
Hoping I don't have to dip into the Ł15 grand loan

Ooh carefully does it - far too tempting!

[DemolitionRed]

Its easy enough to do online banking when you have a smart phone and online bank account. The problem is, its not easy for a lot of elderly people to work out how to use smart phones, never mind trust online banking.

I think personal banking has improved massively but thats only because I know how to take advantage of it. Remember the days when your statement arrived through the door once a month and if you'd gone overdrawn, you didn't know until you went to a cash point and your card got declined? Now you can look at your bank statements on a daily basis without getting out of bed and if your account lacks funds you just get a text message asking you to transfer money so you don't incur a penalty. I have three accounts so when one gets low, I can transfer funds from a different account. This means I never go overdrawn which makes my credit rating the best I've ever seen it.

I haven't been into my bank for at least a year. Even when I did go, it was all (except for foreign exchange) self service machines. This is the future and whilst its unfortunate for some, it is what it is and we need to get used to it.

[waterhog]

sad news for workers.

[smudgie]

Originally Posted by DemolitionRed

Its easy enough to do online banking when you have a smart phone and online bank account. The problem is, its not easy for a lot of elderly people to work out how to use smart phones, never mind trust online banking.

I think personal banking has improved massively but thats only because I know how to take advantage of it. Remember the days when your statement arrived through the door once a month and if you'd gone overdrawn, you didn't know until you went to a cash point and your card got declined? Now you can look at your bank statements on a daily basis without getting out of bed and if your account lacks funds you just get a text message asking you to transfer money so you don't incur a penalty. I have three accounts so when one gets low, I can transfer funds from a different account. This means I never go overdrawn which makes my credit rating the best I've ever seen it.

I haven't been into my bank for at least a year. Even when I did go, it was all (except for foreign exchange) self service machines. This is the future and whilst its unfortunate for some, it is what it is and we need to get used to it.

I can never understand how people don't realise what they spend each month and have to wait for a statement to drop on their doormat.
I normally know to the nearest tenner on my personal budget and the nearest hundred on the rest
Control it for goodness saie

[DemolitionRed]

Originally Posted by NanaChristmas

I can never understand how people don't realise what they spend each month and have to wait for a statement to drop on their doormat.
I normally know to the nearest tenner on my personal budget and the nearest hundred on the rest
Control it for goodness saie

My husband (and we have shared banking facilities) runs a big business. We can quite literally have thousands of pounds going into one of those accounts in a day and spend thousands out of that account another day. Whilst we know what we spend, we have companies saying they've made a transfer when they haven't. In this day and age we can check that transfer in minutes. Before internet banking we had to wait 24 hours before going to the bank and looking at our account. Fortunately for us, we always have enough in another account to back up the business one. Knowing the account is down is therefore very useful to us.

So thanks for the sarcasm and the assassins laugh that came with it! Good for you for being able to know your account to your nearest tenner. Not everyone however, lives in your world.

[DemolitionRed]

Originally Posted by waterhog

sad news for workers.

Yes it is bad news for those who work in those banks.

[smudgie]

Originally Posted by DemolitionRed

My husband (and we have shared banking facilities) runs a big business. We can quite literally have thousands of pounds going into one of those accounts in a day and spend thousands out of that account another day. Whilst we know what we spend, we have companies saying they've made a transfer when they haven't. In this day and age we can check that transfer in minutes. Before internet banking we had to wait 24 hours before going to the bank and looking at our account. Fortunately for us, we always have enough in another account to back up the business one. Knowing the account is down is therefore very useful to us.

So thanks for the sarcasm and the assassins laugh that came with it! Good for you for being able to know your account to your nearest tenner. Not everyone however, lives in your world.

Give over, I wasn't being sarcastic, I was simply stating what I think.
Nothing to do with people running their business or otherwise.
Might be an age thing, we were brought up to keep an eye on our cash, old habits die hard.
Different people have different banking habits

[DemolitionRed]

Originally Posted by NanaChristmas

Give over, I wasn't being sarcastic, I was simply stating what I think.

Originally Posted by NanaChristmas

I can never understand how people don't
Control it for goodness saie

Oh I think you were being sarcastic. This for example was totally unnecessary.

Nothing to do with people running their business or otherwise.

In your case obviously not, in our case its everything to do with running a business.

Might be an age thing, we were brought up to keep an eye on our cash, old habits die hard.
Different people have different banking habits

Here you go again with that really unpleasant smugness!

We keep a very close eye on our cash. Fortunately that's now a very easy thing to do with internet banking.