by Jonathan Rimmer
THE Royal Bank of Scotland announced this week it is shutting 30 branches in Scotland, with hundreds of jobs expected to be lost.
Branches earmarked for closure include five in Glasgow and long running centres in Troon, Kilsyth, Kirkcaldy Central and Bishopbriggs.
RBS, which is 73% owned by the British taxpayer, said the move was in response to a ‘dramatic’ shift in retail banking towards mobile and online over the past few years.
Simple transactions in RBS and NatWest branches having fallen 43% since 2010, while online transactions have increased by over 400%.
On top of the Scottish closures, RBS announced it would shut 128 NatWest branches across the UK.
