Newcastle Building Society has reiterated its opposition to branch closures after successfully opening two refurbished sites in the North East.
The society has gone against the prevailing trend in the banking sector by opening new branches around the North as well as improving existing sites. Last week it unveiled new branches in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool, which it said were the result of 鈥渟ix-figure investments鈥.
Openings next year will include a new flagship branch in Newcastle city centre, as well as an outlet within a new library being developed in Tynemouth.
The commitment to physical branches come at a time that more than 6,000 bank sites have been closed around the North East in the past decade, leaving some communities without any physical banking locations.
Andrew Haigh, chief executive officer at Newcastle Building Society, said: 鈥淎ccess to face-to-face financial services and advice remains a concern to our customers as a steady flow of banks continue to close their doors. We鈥檙e committed to listening to our customers and so we鈥檙e delighted to make long-term commitments to Middlesbrough and Hartlepool with these investments.
鈥淲hilst these two new branches are great for our customers, who will benefit immediately from better facilities, it鈥檚 also important to be available in the way our communities need us, tomorrow and for generations to come. We offer choice for customers 鈥 whether they want a digital experience, or a trusted, friendly face on our high streets for those times when a branch is best.
鈥淭he response we鈥檝e had in both towns shows how much people value their branch and we know the benefits of a branch go far beyond the transactions that take place at the counter. It鈥檚 great to see people responding to our commitment to branches, with branch savings balances growing and customer satisfaction consistently high.鈥
The society relocated its Middlesbrough branch to a site on Linthorpe Road and refurbished its existing space in Hartlepool. This year has also seen openings in North Shields and Pickering, North Yorkshire.
Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash said: 鈥淚t is brilliant to see Newcastle Building Society showing this level of commitment to Hartlepool. All too often we have seen high street branches close, which leaves too many people isolated from financial services. Newcastle Building Society are reversing that trend and investing in communities like ours, which I warmly welcome. We need to rebuild and renew our high streets and this is an important step on that journey.鈥
