Dalmellington says 'No to mobile banking'
The community of Dalmellington are rallying together this afternoon to protest the closure of the last bank in the village.
Concerned locals have gathered outside the RBS there after it was announced earlier this week it would shut in August.
It will mean people will have to travel nearly 14 miles to either Ayr or Cumnock to do their banking.
RBS say it is because of a decrease in footfall.
A spokesperson for the bank said: "We have taken the difficult decision to close the RBS Dalmellington branch on 16th August 2016. We will ensure there are a number of alternative ways for people in the area to continue to bank with us including:
- ATMs: We intend to retain our ATM in the local community, and there are also 4 other free to use ATMs within 1 mile of the branch. - Mobile branch: We are introducing a mobile branch service to the community and we will be engaging with our customers and the local community to understand the best day and time for the mobile branch to visit. - Other branches: Our nearest branch Cumnock is 13.7 miles away. - Post Office: We have reached an agreement with the local Post Office, which is 0.1 miles away from the branch so that our customers can pay money in, take money out, check balances and business customers can get coinage. There are 2 Post Offices within 1 mile of the branch.
"We’re closing this branch because the number of transactions at the branch has reduced by 16% since 2011, and only 54 customers use the branch on a regular weekly basis. 22 of these customers already use other branches in the area.
"We are committed to following the UK Government protocol on branch closures, and we have made the decision following careful consideration of a wide range of factors including branch usage and the alternative ways our customers can bank with us locally.
"Our customers are increasingly using alternative ways to bank such as online and mobile banking. As a result, branch transactions have declined by around 46% since 2010 whilst online and mobile transactions have grown by more than 400%. Only 9% of their total transactions are now undertaken in branches in comparison to 25% in 2010.
"We are writing to our customers who use the branch, as well as displaying posters in branch to let them know of the closure. Between now and the closure date, we will engage with our customers, local businesses and the wider local community to make sure they are aware of the alternative ways of accessing their banking in the local area, and to answer any questions they might have."