Lloyds to close 60 branches after shift to online banking

Lloyds Banking Group has said it plans to shut 60 branches across the country, adding to recent closures as customers move financial management online.

Britain’s biggest lender said it would close 24 Lloyds branches, as well as 19 Bank of Scotland and 17 Halifax sites.

Up to 124 staff are affected, but Lloyds said it would try to find those staff new roles within the company.

The bank said use of its mobile banking app was up 27 per cent over the past two years, and there was a 12 per cent rise in regular users of its online banking system. Now 18.6 million people bank online and 15 million use the app.

Vim Maru, retail director, said: “Just like many other high street