Laura Whitcombe

Beat bank closures by switching to a better deal

Within the space of a week, it has been announced that another 189 high street banks and building societies will be shutting their doors through the course of 2017.

Last week, Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank outlined plans to close 79 branches. On Tuesday, HSBC reported it will close another 62 branches on top of the 55 previously announced. And yesterday, Yorkshire Building Society admitted it will be closing 48 branches, including all 28 Norwich & Peterborough branches as it goes ahead with killing off the brand completely. Existing N&P current account holders have been told to find alternative accounts.

The companies have largely attributed the closures to customers increasingly turning to their online services. However, if your local branch is affected and you would prefer a new bricks and mortar bank account, the good news is the Current Account Switch Service is at your disposal.

Set up in 2013, it enables customers to switch their bank accounts easily and pretty quickly between the vast majority of providers.

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