Halifax revamp sends customers to Post Office

Halifax savings and banking customers will be able to deposit cash and cheques at 12,000 Post Offices within the next six weeks, according to parent group LloydsTSB, raising the prospect of extended Post Office queues. At the same time, it is phasing out independent Halifax agencies that have been offering limited banking facilities in nearly 300 locations across the country. LloydsTSB says it remains committed to its branch network – it owns a quarter of all UK bank branches – but the independent agencies (operated by third party businesses) are "no longer integral to its business model". They will be closed between 4 October and 12 November. The group says that customers who have been using one of the 265 Halifax independents are, on average, two miles from a Halifax or LloydsTSB branch, while over 90 per cent of agencies are within 500 metres of a Post Office. "Two-thirds of our agency customers have been using the service for savings accounts, so will not be affected in the same way as those who use their bank for day-to-day banking," said a LloydsTSB spokesperson. The agencies are typically located within an estate agent, solicitor or insurance agent's premises. Halifax will now begin writing to customers to explain the changes and advise them of the location of their nearest branch and Post Office. Customers also have the option of moving their account to a Lloyds TSB branch if it is more convenient for them. David Nicholson, managing director of Halifax Community Bank, added: "We have thought very carefully about the potential impact today's announcement of the phased closure programme may have on our agency customers. We have deliberately strengthened our relationship with the Post Office to increase the range of transactions Halifax customers can carry out. For the first time, customers will be able to make deposits into their account by visiting the Post Office." Customers of Alliance & Leicester, Bank of Ireland, Barclays, Clydesdale Bank, Lloyds TSB itself, online banks cahoot.com and smile.co.uk and the Co-operative Bank can already deposit cash and cheques at Post Office branches, while Halifax customers have long been able to make withdrawals and check their balances. Customers at the Post Office branch in King's Cross, north London, have their say Sarah Chang, 29, accountant: "The queues can't get any longer. It takes me 20 minutes to do anything here because I can only come in my lunchtime. The thought of more people queuing here is not good." Stafford Cunningham, Bank of Ireland customer: "It will be even more of a nightmare when Halifax customers bank here too. I've tried it many times already at various Post Offices and the staff don't know what they're doing. I've tried depositing cheques and you have to put them in a special envelope, but every time I tried it I ended up having to call the manager to help as the staff had no idea. I once spent 40 minutes queuing up only to be told by the person at my counter that I only had three minutes as they were closing up. I post most of my stuff direct to the branch now to save the hassle." Anonymous, British Library worker: "It will be very disappointing if you come here to post. The majority of people just want to post things." India Hughes, 33, trainee architect: "I didn't know I could already bank here as an Alliance & Leicester customer. I wouldn't bother though, the queues are too long and you already get people huffing if you take too long with a parcel. If you're paying in a lot of cheques you'll hold everyone up. People will get queue rage."