NatWest Maida Hill Branch will shut on the 25th July 2014

I was sad to hear about the proposed closure of my local Natwest bank along Edgware Rd known as their Maid Hill branch. It is where l set up my first bank account before l left London for a few years for University but I sensed that I was not the only one who felt this way having become a regular user on Saturday mornings and getting to talk to other local users.  So after writing to Ross McEwan, CEO of The Royal Bank Scotland PLC to express my disappointment, I received the following response.

The reality is the face of banking is changing.  We are going on line more, using Apps, telephone banking and ATM machines at our local supermarkets although interestingly, the response also highlights the reliance on post offices to deliver local banking services.  This is why I’ve campaigned in the past to keep open local crown post offices which provide a plethora of services to the local community.  Like pubs and post offices, banks are a vital component in sustaining a vibrant local community.  Natwest point out that the Maida Vale branch is not far off but for me it will still mean a tube ride away to a branch which is much smaller (and generally not as nice!) then the Maida Hill branch.  I may consider taking my local banking somewhere else!