Lloyds Banking Group has announced it will be closing 15 Halifax branches and 40 Lloyds branches across the UK in 2026, with 16 of these Lloyds locations scheduled to shut in January alone. The closures taking place across England and Wales reflect changing customer habits, with more than 21 million people now managing their finances through apps and online services, the banking group said.

Lloyds has highlighted that its customers can continue to access services through its remaining branches, the Post Office network, dedicated banking hubs, or via digital channels. Other major UK banks, including NatWest and Santander, are also closing dozens of branches across the UK as more customers shift to online and mobile banking. According to consumer group Which?, banks and building societies in the UK have closed 6,626 branches since January 2015, at a rate of around 53 per month, representing about 67 % of the branches that were open at the start of 2015.

Lloyds Bank has stated that staff at the closing branches will be offered redeployment opportunities where possible, and the bank will provide support to help customers transition smoothly.

A spokesperson for Lloyds Banking Group previously said: “The way people are banking has changed, with over 21 million customers choosing apps to manage their money. We’re providing more choice than ever before, bringing together the best in digital convenience with our people.

“Alongside our app, our customers can use any Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland branch, the Post Office or banking hubs for their everyday banking, and deposit cash at over 30,000 PayPoint locations.”