Lloyds and Halifax customers warned over 'huge change' in bank branches

Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland are planning to make a HUGE change in bank branches. Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland have announced plans to enable customers to access services at any branch regardless of which brand they bank with.

It means that a Lloyds Bank customer will be able to access the same services when visiting Halifax and Bank of Scotland branches, and vice versa. A Lloyds Banking Group spokesperson said: "We're always looking for ways to make banking easier and more flexible for our customers."

The spokesperson went on, saying: "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."

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In a memo to staff - revealed by the Financial Times - Lloyds’ consumer relationship chief Jayne Opperman said the group needed to “evolve how (it) supports customers” in physical branches even as “more people are choosing mobile over any other way to bank. That’s why — from later this year — we’ll make it possible for customers to use any of our Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland branches, regardless of the brand they bank with, giving them access to the UK’s biggest combined branch network."

Lloyds Banking Group has already announced plans to close 55 more branches, bringing the total number of branches across brands to 932. The latest closures will take place between January and September this year. They include 32 Halifax, 19 Lloyds and four Bank of Scotland sites.

Mark Brown, general secretary of BTU, an independent union at Lloyds, said the decision was “to make it easier for Lloyds to close more branches and save more money” rather than improving customer experience as we head through the year.