Danske Bank set to close four NI branches

Danske Bank has announced the closure of four of its branches in Northern Ireland.

Branches in Ballycastle, Comber, Kilrea and Strabane will close their doors on 4 December.

There will be no compulsory redundancies made as a result of the closures.

In a statement, Danske Bank blame changes in customer behaviour and a move towards online banking as the reason for the closures.

Commenting on the announcement, Aisling Press, Danske Bank’s Managing Director of Personal Banking, said:

“As a business, we must respond to these changes. This can mean reviewing, and adapting, our investment strategies – sometimes it will include investing more in key branches. Through transformational upgrades, we have invested over £3 million in 15 branches across Northern Ireland over the past three years – such as our recent upgrades of our branches in Bangor at Bloomfield Shopping Centre, Enniskillen, Newry, Coleraine and Foyle.

“Other times, it unfortunately means taking difficult decisions to close certain branches that are being used less - we do not take these decisions lightly.

“I have written to the affected customers to assure them that we remain committed to continuing to meet their banking needs, and to inform them about the many different ways to bank with us. Over the coming weeks, customers will also find additional support in the branches and through our contact centre. Our ‘Step by Step’ guide, with help on how to use other ways of banking, will be available in branch, or can be posted out after a phone call. If any of our customers are concerned, I would encourage them to please speak with us - we will do everything we can to help them.”