It has been confirmed this afternoon that Danske Bank are to close one of their local branches.

In a statement released this morning Danske Bank has announced that it will be closing four of its branches, with the Fivemiletown branch marked for closure later this summer.

Other branches which will close will be Lurgan, Cookstown, and Kilkeel. All four branches will close on Friday, September 16.

Commenting on the announcement, Aisling Press, Danske Bank’s Managing Director of Personal Banking, said: “The world around us is changing constantly, and the world of banking changes with it. Alongside that, the needs and expectations of our customers evolve, and in the last number of years, the way customers use branches has changed considerably.

“As a business, we have to respond to these changes and part of that is reviewing and adapting how we invest in customer solutions for the future.

"Sometimes that will include investing more in branches; sometimes, unfortunately, we also need to make difficult decisions to close certain branches that are being used less and are no longer sustainable. We do not make these decisions lightly."

Ms. Press continued: "Today, I have written to customers of Fivemiletown branch to assure them that we remain committed to continuing to meet their banking needs, and to share the different ways they can continue to bank with us.

"Over the coming weeks, customers will also be able to get additional support in our Fivemiletown and Enniskillen branches and from our local customer contact centre.

"Our Step by Step guide, with guidance on how to use other ways of banking, and our Impact Assessments with details on alternative ways of banking, can  be found on our website, in our branches, or can be printed and posted to customers."

Ms Press added: “If any of our customers have additional concerns, I would encourage them to please speak to us - we will do everything we can to support them through this change.”

After September 16, Danske Bank will have a network of 28 branches across Northern Ireland.

The bank has confirmed that there will be no redundancies as a result of the branch closures. and that the the ATM at Fivemiletown will be removed on January 31, 2023.