RBS closing 62 branches across Scotland

More communities across Glasgow and the west could be about to see their local bank disappear.

A total of 62 branches are under threat, with the loss of 158 jobs.

The union Unite, which represents many of those affected by the closure programme, said senior figures at the bank were "filling their boots while they devastate local communities".

165 jobs will go in Scotland.

RBS has said many more customers are accessing services online or via mobile devices, with a 44 percent drop in footfall since 2012. Royal Bank of Scotland Branch Closure Date in 2018

Here's a list of local branches affected:

Bridge of Allan

Dunblane

Glasgow Business Centre

Stepps

Airdrie

Bellshill

Biggar

Carnwath

Douglas Lanarkshire

Larkhall

Lesmahagow

Strathaven

Tannochside

Kilbirnie

Kilwinning

Renfrew

Saltcoats

Hamilton Cadzow Street

Bannockburn

An RBS spokesperson said: “More and more of our customers are choosing to do their everyday banking online or on mobile.

Since 2012 the number of customers using our branches in Scotland has fallen by 44%. Only 1% of our customers in Scotland now use a branch regularly while the number of regular mobile users has increased by 39% since 2015.

We’re investing and providing our customers with more ways to bank than ever before – they can choose from a range of digital to face-to-face options.

As customers continue to change the way they bank with us, we must change the way we serve them, so we are investing in our more popular branches and shaping our network, replacing traditional bricks and mortar branches with alternative ways to bank, including; Community Bankers, Mobile Bank on Wheels, and Post Offices, so that we can reach even more customers.

We expect these closures to result in around 158 redundancies. We realise this is difficult news for our colleagues and we are doing everything we can to support those affected. We will ensure compulsory redundancies are kept to an absolute minimum”.

We are committed to ensuring our customers and communities are able to continue accessing quality banking services. We are writing to customers of affected branches to highlight the alternative ways to bank in their area.

Our new Community Banker provides customers with personal assistance and support to access our non-cash services, as well as help with achieving their financial plans and goals – replicating many of the services available in our branches.

Our Community Bankers will get to know local communities, engage with local groups and provide training and education on issues such as fraud and scams protection in their local area.

We know that not all of our customers are comfortable or familiar with using online or mobile banking, so we have created a new specialist taskforce of TechXperts who will be dedicated to supporting our customers with training and support with digital skills.

There will be 16 community Bankers in post across Scotland by the end of March 2018. There is already at least 1 TechXpert in every branch across Scotland. The majority of closing branches will have either a Community Banker or Mobile Branch available.

We have listened closely to feedback from local communities and have extended the time between announcing our decision and the branch closure to six months.

This has been done in order to ensure our customers have time to consider the right banking options for them. Customers will also have a range of alternative ways to bank, including: online and mobile for simple transactions, telephony, and webchat for assisted help and the Post Office for face to face interactions.