Scotland has lost more than a third of its bank branches since 2015, according to research.
Consumer organisation Which? found banks shut 396 Scottish branches between January 2015 and August 2019, reducing the number from 1,039 to 643.
The 38 per cent cut in branches reflects an “alarming rate” of closures, said Which?.
RBS was found to have closed the highest number of Scottish branches, with 158 branches – 63 per cent of its total number –
shutting during the past four-and-a-half years.
It was followed by Bank of Scotland, which closed 94 branches (32 per cent).
Clydesdale shut 59 branches (47 per cent), TSB closed 39 (21 per cent) and 36 Santander branches were lost (44 per cent).
The most affected areas, by Westminster constituency, were Edinburgh East, which lost 11 branches – equivalent to 61 per cent of its network – followed by Moray, which lost 16 branches (59 per cent), Edinburgh South West and Paisley & Renfrewshire North, which both lost eight branches (57 per cent) and then Linlithgow and East Falkirk, which lost nine branches (56 per cent).
Money editor at Which?, Jenny Ross, said: “Bank branches play a crucial role within communities – serving consumers and businesses alike.
“The industry must ensure no-one is left behind by the digital transition and that when banks shut their doors they don’t shut their customers out of important banking services.”
