Coast to bid farewell to its RBS branches

The Royal Bank of Scotland branch at Fleetwood.

An application has now been lodged with Wyre Council for an array of new signage at the RBS outlet on Lord Street Fleetwood – one of seven on the Fylde coast set to become branches of the new Williams & Glyn Bank between autumn and next year.

Williams & Glyn is a new bank for the UK which is being formed from the sale by RBS of around 300 branches and other business banking elements in England and Wales, although only a part of the RBS business is being sold.

The sale does not effect RBS branches in Scotland.

Fleetwood is the first branch to get the signange application and the change-over is likely to occur this autumn, but those at Cleveleys, Poulton, Bispham, South Shore, St Annes and Kirkham are likely to follow suit.

Although the signage is likely to go up at Fleetwood in the next few months, there will be no immediate change for customers.

A spokesman at RBS said: “All RBS branches in England and Wales will become Williams & Glyn outlets.

“Customers will be automatically transferred from RBS to Williams & Glyn.

“Despite the change to branding from RBS to Williams & Glyn that will take place at Fleetwood in the coming months, it will still remain an RBS branch for now.

“Customers will still talk to the same people as before in the bank and they will still be able to use the same services and there is nothing customers are required to do for now.

“All the bank branches will remain open as usual and customers will be able to use their products and services in the same way.

“We’ll give customers plenty of notice of any changes and anything they might need to do in the future.”

Consent is being sought from Wyre Council for the display in Fleetwood of one internally-illuminated fascia sign, one halo-illuminated fascia sign, two internally-illuminated projecting signs, one non-illuminated information sign, one external ATM surround with logo and halo illumination and one window vinyl.

The sale of the 300 branches, which will be owned by the British-based Corsair Consortium, was imposed on RBS by the European Commission, as a condition of the state bail-out of the-then ailing bank back in 2008.