Closure date announced for Athlone Ulster Bank branch

The Ulster Bank branch in Athlone is to cease transactions on March 31, and will close on April 21, it was announced this morning (Tuesday).

Several Ulster Bank branches across the country have already closed for rebranding as Permanent TSB outlets - but the bank's Athlone premises was one of 63 branches not included in the Permanent TSB rebrand.

As a result, the bank said, the final transactions at the branch on Mardyke Street would take place on Friday, March 31.

After that date "customers will no longer be able to make cash or cheque lodgements either at the counter or through internal automation devices or make any form of a withdrawal at an Ulster Bank branch, except for ATM services."

The bank added that, from April 1 to 21, branch staff would be "fully focused on supporting any remaining personal and business customers to move to a new banking provider and close their accounts."

The Athlone branch, and its ATM services, will then permanently close on Friday, April 21.

In an update on its redundancy programmes, Ulster Bank said 600 staff would be leaving through voluntary redundancy over the coming months, while other staff were transferring to Permanent TSB and AIB.

It added that it expects to open another voluntary redundancy programme in February.

Ulster Bank has again encouraged customers who have not yet taken action to begin the process of closing their accounts and moving to a new banking provider.

The bank's phased withdrawal from the Republic of Ireland was first announced in February 2021.