HSBC to close 62 high street branches in 2017 resulting in up to 180 job cuts

HSBC has seen a 40 per cent drop in branch visits over the past five years

The closures come as the UK’s largest high street banks shrink their branch networks (Reuters)

HSBC plans to close 62 branches this year, resulting in up to 180 job losses, in response to the rising popularity of online and mobile banking, the bank announced on Tuesday.

In a statement, HSBC said that over the past five years, the number of customers using HSBC branches had fallen by almost 40 per cent and 93 per cent of customers’ contact with the bank is now done on the telephone, internet or via smartphone. A total of 97 per cent of cash withdrawals are made via an ATM.

“The way our customers bank with us is changing,” said Francesca McDonagh, HSBC head of retail banking and wealth management for UK and Europe.

The bank said that it had no intention of closing any further branches in 2017 and that this marks the end of its branch restructuring programme. The latest closures will bring the number of branches it has in the UK to 625. Shares were around 0.6 per cent higher on the day after the news.

HSBC has closed more than a quarter of its UK branches over the last two years, more than any of the other big high street lenders since the start of 2015, according to research by consumer group Which? published in December.

The Which? also showed that high street banks in total had closed more than 1,000 branches over that two-year period.

Douglas Flint, the chairman of HSBC, earlier this month, told MPs the bank was considering moving 1,000 investment banking jobs to Paris before the end of the Article 50 process, quantifying some of the aftershocks for the UK after Brexit.

Here's the list of the 62 new HSBC branch closures:

ALFRETON

ALNWICK

AMMANFORD

BALSALL COMMON

BEDWORTH

BLACKPOOL, BIRLEY STREET

BLETCHLEY

BRIGG

BRISTOL COLLEGE GREEN

BROMPTON ROAD

CARDIFF, CHURCHILL WAY

CARLISLE, KINGSTOWN ROAD

CARTERTON

CASTLE BROMWICH

CASTLE DONINGTON

CHASE TERRACE

CHESHAM

CHIPPING NORTON

COBHAM

CONSETT

COSHAM

EASINGWOLD

FERNDOWN

FINCHLEY CHURCH END

FISHGUARD

GERRARDS CROSS

HASLEMERE

HEDON

HEMSWORTH

HOLYHEAD

HOLYWELL

HORNCASTLE

KESWICK

KIDLINGTON

KIRKBYMOORSIDE

KNIGHTON

LEYBURN

LLANRWST

LUDLOW

MAESTEG

MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY

MARLBOROUGH

MIDSOMER NORTON

NARBERTH

NEWQUAY

REDRUTH

RICKMANSWORTH

SHAFTESBURY AVENUE

STOKESLEY

SWINTON

SYSTON

TEAM VALLEY

THORNE

TOTTON

WARMINSTER

WARWICK

WATH UPON DEARNE

WEMBLEY PARK

WEST BYFLEET

WILLENHALL

WOOD GREEN

WORLE