Closing many of the UK’s free ATMs would be a huge blow to rural communities

A few weeks ago, Mike Fotis wrote of the depressing future of UK banking for those living in rural areas, or who are unable to use technology. Understandably – and for most customers, sensibly – many banks are focused on improving their online services and apps. The problem is that as they do this, bank branches are closing rapidly as they become increasingly redundant. For many of us this is simply an irritant, meaning that you have to travel that bit further if you actually want to visit a branch of your bank. But if you have problems with mobility – or if the next closest bank branch is a fair distance away – this starts to become more problematic.

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And for these people – and indeed many others – the news of a shake-up in the country’s ATM services could be another massive blow.