Santander and Natwest to shut 17 branches this week

The banks are closing in response to altering buyer habits.

Modern NatWest bank exterior with illuminated logo and glass entrance at night

NatWest is closing seven branches this week (Picture: Getty)

Santander and NatWest are set to close 17 branches this week, in one other blow to the excessive avenue.

A Santander spokesperson stated they’re making adjustments to their branches to “higher help clients” in response to a “persevering with and sizeable shift” in direction of clients utilizing digital banking. A spokesman added: “We are going to proceed to put money into each our department community – comprising full-service branches, counter-free branches, reduced-hour branches, Santander Locals, and our more and more well-liked Work Cafés – in addition to our digital banking companies, so we may be there to help our clients nonetheless they select to financial institution with us.”

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Santander bank, Central London

Santander is closing 10 branches this week (Picture: Getty)

NatWest stated it will proceed to supply help to communities affected by the closure, explaining “there’s extra demand for cell and on-line companies”.

It follows Santander’s April 30, 2026, announcement that it had accomplished its acquisition of TSB. The all-cash transaction, valued at £2.65 billion, will contribute to Santander UK’s goal to extend its return on tangible fairness to 16% by 2028, with estimated value synergies of at the very least £400 million.

The deal means Santander UK is now the third-largest financial institution within the UK by private present account balances and the fourth-largest by mortgages.

There isn’t a rapid change for both Santander UK or TSB clients, and so they can proceed to make use of their merchandise, accounts and playing cards in the identical approach.

Mixed, the 2 banks serve practically 28 million retail and enterprise clients nationwide, and the deal permits Santander UK to raised help these clients by means of elevated funding in revolutionary merchandise, its digital providing, and new and improved department codecs throughout the UK.