Business

Bank branch closures 'blow to entire area'

DANSKE Bank is to close two more rural branches as it downsizes its network across the north.

Those at Dungiven and Maghera will close later in the year to merge with the Limavady and Magherafelt branches respectively.

The bank said there would be no jobs losses as a result of the mergers but local people have expressed anger at losing the services.

Sinn Féin MLA Ian Milne said the decision to shut the Maghera branch was "a blow to the entire south Derry area".

"The Danske branch in Maghera has serviced the needs of the local community for years, including that of farmers and rural dwellers in the surrounding townlands so the decision to close it is a major blow to the community," he said.

"Many people have built up relationships with bank officials over the years and these cannot be replaced by internet banking especially farmers who depend so much on their bank to process things like the single farm payment.

"The bank which is due to close in November will be a loss to the entire community and a further dilution of services to the rural community.

"I am calling on Danske to review its decision and look at ways of retaining a personalised service in Maghera."

However, Dankse's managing director of personal banking in Northern Ireland, Tony Wilcox, left, said the closures are a result of changing customer demands.

"Consumer behaviour in an increasingly digital world is changing the face of traditional banking. Customers now visit branches less frequently and many are using other convenient ways to bank. To keep pace with these changes we continue to increase our investment in alternative banking channels such as telephone banking, online banking and mobile banking," he said.

"I fully understand that this news may be disappointing for our customers, but I can assure them that Danske Bank remains committed to continuing to meet their banking needs. I have written to all of our Dungiven and Maghera branch customers to assure them of this commitment."