A high street bank is to close a further 69 branches by the autumn as customers increasingly rely on online services.
South London will lose six branches in two months alone: Peckham, Eltham, Sidcup, New Malden, Beckenham and Wandsworth.
Fewer than half of its customers now actively use its branch network, HSBC says, with the average footfall declining over 50 per cent since 2017.
The use of mobile and online banking has accelerated, particularly since the start of the lockdown, it added.
HSBC also claims none of the branches set to close are the last bank in the town they serve and they all have a Post Office within 1.5 miles where people can do day-to-day banking.
The bank said closing the branches would enable it to invest in its digital and mobile servicing and reinvest in refurbishing its remaining branches in key locations.
It also promised to increase its customer outreach programme and support for vulnerable people who might struggle to access digital banking.
Jackie Uhi, head of HSBC UK’s branch network, said: “The way people bank is changing – something the pandemic has accelerated.
“Our branches continue to support people with their more complex banking needs, but the way we can do this has also evolved, with the addition of banking hubs, community pop ups and continued use of the Post Office network.”
Last year, HSBC closed 82 of its branches across the country. It will have 441 branches left by the end of the year, only 96 of which will offer a full range of services in store.
The closures are as follows:
July
Gloucester Road
New Bond Street
Hammersmith
August
Peckham
Eltham
Sidcup
September
New Malden
Beckenham
Wandsworth
Shirley
Plus: Kingston (Date TBC)