Nationwide's Melton customers receive assurance about future of the branch
Customers at a Melton Mowbray building society have been assured that their branch will stay open in the town until at least 2030.
The pledge from Nationwide comes at a time when banks have closed thousands of branches across the UK and many in Melton due to a drop in people using them due to the increasing preference for online banking.
The Nationwide branch is in High Street in the town – a street which lost NatWest a year ago. Santander closed its Nottingham Street branch in April and both TSB and Barclays closed their offices in 2022.
But Nationwide says it will keep its hundreds of branches open across the country in a decision which bucks the trend in this country.
A spokesperson for the building society said: “Our branches are a valued part of the UK’s high streets.
"That’s why we’re ensuring they will be here today, and here tomorrow.
"So you can choose how to bank – in branch, in our app, or over the phone.
"All 605 of them are remaining open until at least the start of 2030.”
The business does add: “There may be circumstances beyond our control that mean we have to close a branch. Or relocate it in the same town. We’ll only do so when there’s no other workable option.”
A number of other towns in Leicestershire and Rutland have banking hubs, which house banks and building societies on a rota basis – these are currently located at Syston, Oakham, Market Harborough, Lutterworth and Ashby-de-la-Zouch.