Lloyds and Halifax to make major change to opening hours from this month

A number of high street bank branches are set to cut down their opening hours this month. Halifax, Lloyds, and the Bank of Scotland, which are all controlled by the Lloyds Banking Group, will reportedly cut down hours across all 757 branches in the group starting September 29.

It means customers will have less availability throughout the working week to access face-to-face banking services. During the weekdays, branches will open from 9.30am rather than 9am, with openings at 10am on Wednesdays. Meanwhile, closing times will be pushed back by roughly an hour on average for all branches.

A Lloyds spokesperson said: “We’re changing our branch opening hours to make it simpler and more consistent for our customers. We offer more choice for everyday banking than ever before – alongside our apps, customers can visit any Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland branch, and use banking services at their local Post Office or Banking Hub.”

A report from The Sun highlighted that the later start times will allow for further staff training while also ensuring the improved well-being of staff members.

If you can no longer access your local bank branch

If the new opening and closing times means you can no longer access your local Halifax, Lloyds, or Bank of Scotland branch, there are a number of alternatives available. Many banking tasks can be carried out at a Post Office branch if they’re opening times are more convenient for you, bank officials say.

For example, many of the 11,684 Post Office branches nationwide allow you to send money. However, for services like applying for a mortgage or a loan or opening a new account, you’ll need to visit a physical branch.

If you haven’t already, consider signing up for online banking. You can do this on any device with internet access, such as a smartphone, computer, laptop, or tablet.

How to locate your nearest branch

To double check if your local bank branch has been affected by the new changes, you can find your nearest branch at the following relevant bank locator. All you need to do is input your postcode or address: