Lloyds Banking Group announces major change across branch network prompting fears of MORE CLOSURES - are you affected?

Lloyds Banking Group has announced plans to allow customers to use branches of any of its three major banking brands for in-person services later this year.

However, union representatives have raised alarm that this integration could trigger a fresh wave of branch closures across the UK's high streets.

The banking group says the move will offer greater flexibility and choice for customers seeking in-branch services.

The changes will mean customers can access face-to-face banking at any branch, regardless of which of the three brands they bank with.

This could provide more convenient access for some customers who may find a different branded branch closer to their home.

The banking group already operates integrated services through its call centres, where staff assist customers across all brands.

Whilst Lloyds Banking Group has not confirmed an exact implementation date, the changes are set to come into effect later in 2025.

The independent trade union for Lloyds workers, BTU, has warned that this decision could lead to more closures of the bank's high-street branches.

BTU shared a presentation they saw, which showed that a quarter of Lloyds branches are located in the same areas.

This could mean that some branches might close in places where there’s more than one Lloyds branch nearby, the union told its members.

It is worth noting that BTU is not officially recognised as a union by Lloyds Banking Group, and the bank does not engage with its members.

A spokesperson for Lloyds said: “We’re always looking for ways to make banking easier and more flexible for our customers so, from later this year, we’ll offer customers of Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland the option to use branches of any brand for their in-person banking, alongside our apps, mobile messaging, and telephone services.”

The announcement comes as Lloyds continues to reduce its physical presence on high streets.

The banking group has confirmed 55 branches will close across UK locations this year.

Lloyds found that 22 million customers now use digital banking while in-person branch use has declined significantly.

Lloyds currently has about 932 branches, but previously announced closures will take that figure down to 892 branches by the end of 2025.

That includes 447 Lloyds Bank sites, 341 Halifax-branded branches and 104 Bank of Scotland locations.