Latest news with #GarethOakley
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
New hub opens after closure of Wick's last bank
A banking hub has opened in Wick following the closure of the town's last organisation Cash Access UK is running the services from premises in Bridge Bank of Scotland branch shut last month. Since 2018, the town lost its Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Clydesdale Bank, TSB and Virgin Access UK is funded by major UK banks and has a network of hubs across the country. Wick's hub has opened in the town's former RBS building, and is the most northerly of Cash Access UK's has a counter service run by the Post from three banks will make visits to meet customers, with TSB on Tuesdays, RBS on Wednesdays and Bank of Scotland on premises also has a cash Access UK chief executive Gareth Oakley said: "I'm happy to announce the opening of our Wick hub, ensuring crucial access to cash and face-to-face banking services for residents and businesses across the community. "Customers can visit on any day of the week for their everyday banking transactions, and if you have a specific or more complex inquiry for your bank, a community banker will be there to help on the day they're in the hub."Caithness and Sutherland MP Jamie Stone welcomed the opening of the new hub, and said many customers still wanted face-to-face contact with bank Scotland, Cash Access UK also has sites in Turriff in Aberdeenshire, Kirkcudbright in Dumfries and Galloway and Troon in South Ayrshire.
Daily Record
19-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
ATM shake-up for Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Halifax, Lloyds, NatWest and RBS customers
The new ATMs have arrived amid a spate of high street bank closures as digital banking continues to rise. Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Halifax, Lloyds, NatWest, RBS, and Ulster Bank customers will soon get a new ATM, signifying a major shift by banks in facilitating cash deposits for consumers. A "super ATM" pilot scheme has been launched, providing cutting-edge ATMs that may prove to be a lifeline for small businesses across Britain. The scheme will enable them to continue accepting cash payments from clients who predominantly use tangible currency for their transactions. Setting these machines apart from traditional cashpoints are the broader services they offer, such as permitting deposits irrespective of which major UK bank a customer uses. Super ATMs also allow users to withdraw funds, check their balance, and even change their PIN. This is a welcome development amid a spate of high street bank closures as digital banking continues to rise and less foot traffic affects British towns and cities, reports Birmingham Live. "It's just as important that businesses who accept cash can bank it, too," Gareth Oakley, the organisation's chief executive, remarked. Currently operating are 85 deposit machines accessible to clients of an expanded list of financial institutions including Barclays, Bank of Scotland, Danske Bank, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, and Royal Bank of Scotland. Santander, TSB, Ulster Bank, and Virgin Money are also included. Martin McTague, national chair of the Federation of Small Businesses, said cash "remains an important part of the payment mix for many consumer-facing small businesses and their customers." He went on: "The decline of the bank branch network has left many without vital services; in particular, the ability for small business owners to deposit takings for the day safely without shutting early or travelling for miles. "The opportunity to deposit in a super ATM that works for multiple banks is an important innovation and could make a real difference." It comes as 20 bank branches are set to disappear from the high street in just a few days' time after Lloyds Banking Group, which owns Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland, announced it will shutter a string of branches. From next month, 18 bank branches across the UK will be no more, three of these in Scotland, bringing the total number of branches closing for good this year up to 254. Eleven branches have shut so far in May, with another 17 to close later in the month - and the shutdown won't stop there. Along with the eighteen branches locking up in June, more are pencilled for the rest of 2025. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The banking giant settled on the decision after claiming more customers, 27 million of which it boasts across Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland, are going online, thus rendering a number of its high street branches obsolete. Other banks, including Santander, NatWest, Barclays, and TSB have also decided to close branches this year. However, Lloyds Banking Group has the most closures scheduled by far. The full list of bank branches closing in June can be found here.
