Bank closures cause concern for SMEs

Following the closing of more Lloyds Banking Group’s branches, The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has expressed concern about what this would mean for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). 

Mike Cherry, national chairman of the FSB, said it is “very worrying” to see more local bank branches being shut down, leaving small business customers without the services they rely on.

He said: “Cash still remains an important element of many small firms and it needs to be banked at the end of the day. For some small businesses online banking is not always a viable substitute, not least because of poor broadband coverage in many rural areas.

“While there are moves by some banks to allow basic services to be accessed in Post Office branches, the Post Office is not yet able to step in as an alternative with full business services.

“The onus is now on Lloyds to take steps to ensure access to banking is being protected under the terms of the access to banking protocol.”

Lloyds announced that it will be closing 100 branches between July and October.