Further written evidence submitted by
the Campaign for Community Banking Services
Since the August evidence submitted by CCBS, and
acknowledged by the Committee Secretariat on 25 August, details
of further branch closures and announced closures by HSBC have
been received.
For 2010, ie since the data submitted, a further
55 (following 75 in 2009) will be closed of which 20 are "last
bank in town"' and a further 14 leave another bank in that
situation.
Of the 780 remaining communities in England and Wales
which have only one bank, HSBC has more than halved its share
since 2003 to 9% leaving Barclays 29%, Lloyds 25%, NatWest 31%.
The HSBC closures have not reduced the number of communities having
only two banks although that bank necessarily now features less
in the composition of the approx 500 communities in that category.
The fear is that, without the network and competition
protections referred to in our submission, other banks will follow
the HSBC example in short order. The Issues Requiring Attention
section of our submission assumes greater urgency in the light
of this later information.
September 2010
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