Santander - NewsWireExplorer

UK high street bank announces 44 branches closing full dates and locations now released

Harry J — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 06:50:20 +0000

Santander is to shut 44 of its bank branches in a move putting 291 jobs at risk (Image: Matthew Horwood, Getty Images)

Santander has announced plans to shut 44 branches across the country, putting 291 jobs at risk. The Spanish banking giant attributed the closures to a major reorganisation driven by customers’ growing preference for digital banking services. Now it has released full details of where the branches are which will close and the dates – see list below.

The lender revealed that 96% of all customer transactions are now conducted through digital platforms, reflecting a sharp rise in online banking adoption.

The announcement comes less than 12 months after Santander revealed it would close 95 branches last March, a decision that impacted 750 employees.

Last July, UK chief executive Mike Regnier disclosed that approximately 2,000 positions had been eliminated over the preceding year as part of ongoing restructuring efforts at the bank, whilst hinting that further redundancies were “might well be” likely.

Santander stated that affected branches will be succeeded by “community bankers”, who will work from Santander Local stores or shared banking hubs to preserve a local presence in affected areas.

Following the latest round of closures, the high street bank will maintain 244 full-service branches.

Additionally, it will run 19 counter-free locations, 36 branches with reduced opening hours, six work cafés and 111 Santander Locals.

The bank emphasised its ongoing commitment to its branch network, having invested tens of millions of pounds refurbishing more than 220 sites over the last six years. The bank confirmed that over 30 branches are also scheduled for refurbishment during the next 12 months.

A spokeswoman for Santander explained: “In response to a continuing and sizeable shift towards customers using digital banking, we are making changes to our branches to better support our customers.

“We will continue to invest in both our branch network – comprising of full-service branches, counter-free branches, reduced-hour branches, Santander Locals, and our increasingly popular work cafes – as well as our digital banking services, so we can be there to support our customers however they choose to bank with us.”

The branch closures arrive as Santander approaches completion of its £2.65 billion acquisition of UK banking competitor TSB.

The TSB deal, which will add further branches to the portfolio, is anticipated to finalise during this quarter.

The following branches are set to close:

April 2026.

– Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland – April 28.

– Boston, Lincolnshire – April 28.

– Evesham, Worcestershire – April 28.

– Mold, Clwyd – April 28.

– Ramsgate, Kent – April 28.

– Woking, Surrey – April 28.

– Bangor, County Down – April 29.

– Bridgwater, Somerset – April 29.

– Kirkintilloch, Lanarkshire – April 29.

– Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire – April 29.

– Newbury, Berkshire – April 29.

– Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire – April 29.

– Tonbridge, Kent – April 29.

– Bishop Auckland, County Durham – May 5.

– Gosport, Hampshire – May 5.

– Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire – May 5 – Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire – May 5.

– Pontefract, West Yorkshire – May 5.

– Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire – May 5.

– Glengormley, County Antrim – May 6.

– Leyland, Lancashire – May 6.

– Mansfield, Nottinghamshire – May 6.

– Merthyr Tydfil, Mid Glamorgan – May 6.

– Northallerton, North Yorkshire – May 6.

– Ringwood, Hampshire – May 6.

– Andover, Hampshire – May 12.

– Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan – May 12.

– Enniskillen, County Fermanagh – May 12.

– Macclesfield, Cheshire – May 12.

– Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire – May 12.

– Cwmbran, Gwent – May 13.

– Golders Green, London – May 13.

– Heswall, Merseyside – May 13.

– Redditch, Worcestershire – May 13.

– Stranraer, Wigtownshire – May 13.

– Newton Abbot, Devon – May 19.

– Stafford, Staffordshire – May 19.

– Banbridge, County Down – May 19.

– Liskeard, Cornwall – May 20.

– Shirley, West Midlands – May 20.

By the end of January 2027.

– Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.

– Ormskirk, Lancashire.

– Whitehaven, Cumbria.

– Wilmslow, Cheshire.

This week Santander has appointed an executive at its Spanish owner to take the helm of the UK business ahead of its merger with smaller rival TSB.

Mahesh Aditya, who is currently group chief risk officer at Banco Santander, will become chief executive of the UK bank on March 1, replacing outgoing boss Mike Regnier.

Santander – which on Thursday revealed another 44 UK branch closures – announced in October that Mr Regnier planned to step down after four years as it prepares to integrate TSB after agreeing a £2.65 billion deal in July to acquire its smaller UK rival.

The group is expected to complete the TSB takeover later this quarter.

Santander chairman Tom Scholar said Mr Aditya had “wide industry experience and deep knowledge of the Santander Group”.

He said: “He is ideally placed to lead Santander UK through the next phase of our transformation and oversee a successful acquisition and integration of TSB.

“This will be critical to our ambition to be the best bank for customers in the UK.”

Mr Aditya said he was joining Santander UK at an “important time” for the lender.“The acquisition of TSB will both accelerate our transformation and add to the considerable inward investment group has made in the UK since it entered the market in 2004,” he said.

“It will enhance our offer to customers, enable us to grow and become a more competitive business creating genuine value for our investors.”

Mr Aditya has been group chief risk officer at Banco Santander since 2023, having previously spent six years at Santander’s US arm.

Prior to joining Santander, he worked at firms including Citi, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Capital One.

He was appointed to the Santander UK board on October 1.

The announcement of his promotion comes after Santander announced the latest tranche of branch closures earlier this week, putting 291 jobs at risk.

The move will leave it with 244 full branches, although it will take on more branches through the TSB deal.

TSB has around 175 branches across the UK and employs more than 5,000 people.

The post UK high street bank announces 44 branches closing full dates and locations now released first appeared on NewsWireExplorer.

Banks closing 24 branches in November 2025 – some ‘in days’ – full list

Harry J — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:27:31 +0000

In a significant blow to the high street, another 24 bank branches are set to close across the country next month. This latest wave of closures will see Lloyds Bank, along with other high street banking giants, shuttering branches from Bristol to Sheffield.

Barclays, NatWest, Halifax, Santander and Bank of Scotland are also among the banks included in these closures. The move will disrupt access to in-person banking for millions of customers.

According to consumer champion Which?, banks and building societies have closed 6,443 branches since January 2015, averaging at 53 closures every month. Starting next month, Lloyds Bank will axe 17 more branches, including those in Bristol Bishopsworth and Manchester Newton Heath.

Two more Bank of Scotland branches, as well as three Halifax branches, will also close their doors for good. Barclays, NatWest and Santander will each respectively close a branch come November.

After closing 32 branches last month, Lloyds is set to close additional branches in major locations such as Sheffield and Bristol. Data collected by consumer magazine Which? reveals that around 6,300 bank and building society branches have closed in the UK since January 2015, representing 64% of branches that were open a decade ago.

Since the announcement of each closure, 1,879 bank branches have either shut down or declared their intention to do so. This equates to an average of roughly 50 closures announced per month since February 2022, or 12 per week.

However, the rate of closures may be decelerating. The number of annual closures has dropped from a recent high of 633 in 2023, to 399 last year and 364 scheduled to close by the end of 2025.

Autumn closures have consistently decreased from 223 between September and November in 2022, to 191 in 2023, 111 last year, and 70 this autumn. A recent report issued by the House of Commons Library stated that the provision of cash and banking services had declined partly due to “changing consumer behaviour” and the shift towards online banking and digital payments.

However, the report also highlighted that the reduction was being “driven by industry changes such as the reduction in the amount ATM operators earn when ATMs are used”. It further noted: “A reduction in cash and banking service availability falls hardest on some of the more vulnerable groups in society including the elderly, digitally excluded people and those with low incomes.”

Additionally, a reduction in banking services can make it harder for businesses to process cash, potentially leading some to stop taking cash as payment.

This can in turn lead to further difficulty for people who rely on cash.

Bank closures in November

Lloyds Bank

Biggleswade – November 5

Blandford – November 10

Bristol Bishopsworth – November 6

Chard – November 11

Coventry Foleshill – November 4

Dunstable – November 4

East Grinstead – November 12

Feltham – November 4

Ferndown – November 17

Hexham – November 5

Loughton – November 12

Manchester Newton Heath – November 5

Plymstock – November 4

Pontardawe – November 20

Sheffield Woodhouse – November 11

Shipston-on-Stour – November 11

Bank of Scotland

Moffat – November 19

Thornhill – November 3

Barclays

Northampton Wellingborough Road – November 28

Halifax

Bolton – November 20

Hexham – November 10

Wickford – November 10

NatWest

Garstang – November 10

Santander

Surrey Quays – November 10

The post Banks closing 24 branches in November 2025 – some ‘in days’ – full list first appeared on NewsWireExplorer.

Santander to give away £15,000 to businesses – see if you’re eligible and how to apply

Harry J — Fri, 30 May 2025 06:15:37 +0000

Santander is offering early-stage startups and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK the opportunity to compete for a share of £135,000 in funding and business support through the Santander X Awards. As one of the UK’s leading pitch competitions for emerging businesses, the Santander X UK Awards has already provided over £1.1 million in vital funding and support to thousands of UK companies.

This year the competition has three categories to support businesses at critical points in their business journey:

University: for new businesses looking to launch
Startup: for early-stage businesses looking to grow
SME: for growing businesses looking to scale

By September 1, 150 businesses (50 in each category) will be shortlisted to take part in a series of online pitch workshops. These shortlisted businesses will then compete in a mix of online and in-person pitching heats, culminating in the selection of the final nine — three from each category.

On November 13, the nine finalists will deliver their live pitches at the National Final, hosted at Unity Place – Santander UK’s headquarters in Milton Keynes – in front of a prestigious panel of judges, including Santander UK Chief Executive Mike Regnier.

The nine winners (three per category) will win a share of £135,000 which is £15,00 each in funding and secure an automatic place in the Santander X Global Awards, the bank’s international entrepreneurship competition, where they will have the opportunity to compete against some of the best early-stage startups from across Europe and Latin America in Spring 2026.

Mike Regnier, CEO, Santander UK said: “The Santander X UK Awards are back – and this year with a brand new category, opening the competition up to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). At a time where business confidence has been hit by global economic uncertainty, the X Awards offers a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to come together, develop important business skills, and be in with the chance of winning vital funding.

“We are proud to celebrate 15 years of championing entrepreneurs and supporting hundreds of UK businesses each year through the Santander X Awards programme. If your business is disruptive with the ability to grow or scale, look no further and apply today.”

Sarah Bailey, founder of Even, and Santander X Awards 2024 winner, said: “We first participated in the Santander X Awards in 2022 and loved the pitch training and community of founders so much, we returned in 2024 – and won! I highly recommend applying to any early-stage founders. The visibility and network has been exceptional, and the Santander X team have been incredibly generous with creating opportunities for Even.”

For more information, and to apply to enter the Santander X UK Awards 2025, visit Santander’s website. Applications close on July 16 2025.