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Join Which? MoneyNatWest to close 39 bank branches in 2026 – is your local bank closing?
Meanwhile, Royal Bank of Scotland pledges no further closures until 2029
Josh is an award-nominated journalist with nearly a decade of experience, including writing for national newspapers. A data whizz, he specialises in covering personal finance and investing.
NatWest Group has announced a further nine branch closures across its NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) networks.
The latest round of closures includes three NatWest branches and six Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) branches. Following the announcement, RBS pledged to close no further branches until at least 2029.
In 2025, the banking group shut 105 branches across the UK, bringing its total to more than 1,500 closures since the start of 2015.
Here, Which? takes a closer look at which NatWest and RBS branches are closing, and what it means for the customers who rely on them.
Which NatWest branches are closing in 2026 and 2027?
Here are the locations of the branches due to close in 2026 and 2027.
Which NatWest branches closed in 2025?
You can use the search bar to see all the closures in 2025, along with their closure dates.
Why are more branches closing?
NatWest said the latest round of closures will allow the group to commit £50m to modernise and upgrade the remainder of its UK branch network over the next 18 months.
As part of this plan, the group pledged to open three new mobile branch stops in Biggar, Castle Douglas and Arbroath in Scotland.
RBS has committed to no further branch closures until at least 2029, adding that these six closures mark the conclusion of its current programme of network changes.
Solange Chamberlain, retail banking CEO for NatWest Group, said: 'We are investing to offer customers a seamless mix of ways to bank with us, including over the phone, digitally, or via our free-to-use ATM network – while continuing to support those who prefer face-to-face banking in branches and community banking hubs.
'We will not announce any further RBS branch closures until at least 2029 and are expanding more flexible and accessible ways to bank, with enhanced support to help customers act with confidence and achieve their financial goals.'
- Find out more: are banks playing fair, closing the last branch in town?
Which other banks are closing branches in 2026?
This year, a total of 240 bank branches are due to close, 39 of which are NatWest Group branches. The remaining 201 closures are as follows:
- Lloyds Group (including Bank of Scotland and Halifax): 158
- Santander: 40
- The Co-operative Bank: 3
To find out whether your local branch is closing or has recently closed, our closure checker tool shows those shutting down in your local authority area.
What is being done to protect access to cash?
Here are some of the measures that have been brought in since we started our campaign to protect cash:
Access to cash rules
Following years of campaigning by Which?, FCA rules introduced in 2024 require banks and building societies to consider the impact of branch and ATM closures on local communities.
Specifically, they will be required to assess cash access and check whether additional services are needed when changes are made to local services, such as the closure of a local branch.
The law also states that local residents and community groups will be able to request an assessment of whether there are gaps in local cash access, which providers must respond to. These requests can be made via Link, which operates much of the UK's ATM network and coordinates between the FCA and banks on access to cash.
Where significant gaps are found, providers will have to deliver reasonable additional cash services.
In such cases, banks and building societies will be required to keep facilities such as branches and ATMs open until alternative cash services become available.
- Find out more: how Which? campaigned to protect cash and won
Post Office services
Since January 2020, customers of some banks have been able to use Post Office branches to withdraw and deposit cash into their accounts and check their balances. Most banks will also allow you to deposit cheques.
This service, described as a 'lifeline' by the Post Office, means that people can still access essential services, even if their local bank branch has shut.
The service will run until at least December 2030.
Cashback
This initiative allows people to request cashback at the till in their local convenience store without making a purchase or paying a fee.
Link's 'cash at the till' service offers another way to access cash locally if bank branches and ATMs are less readily available. Customers can withdraw any amount from 1p to £50, depending on their account balance and the cash available in the retailer's till. Notes and coins are available.
This article was first published on 18 February 2022 and has been updated several times since then. It was last updated in June 2026
