News

Lloyds legs off, leaving Bungay bankless

May 18, 2018

The Suffolk, England, market town of Bungay, population 4,895, saw its last bank branch close last week, part of a wider action by Lloyds, which shuttered 32 locations across the U.K.

Lloyds was one of five financial institutions to close up shop in Bungay in recent years; it now leaves the town without even a 24-hour ATM, according to a report by the Eastern Daily Press.

The mayor of Bungay, Mary Matthews, is understandably upset — in her words, "devastated" — by the closure, which she said will have a detrimental effect on bank access by the elderly and businesses that profit from the town's weekly market, the viability of which is now in question, as well.

"[Lloyds has] a sign in the window which reads, 'By your side for 250 years,'" Matthews said. "It's the ultimate irony really."

The bank has said that it will provide a mobile branch that will provide "everyday" banking services — just not on an every day basis.