The Center for Public Integrity, February 17, 2022, Bank branch closure rate doubled during pandemic
A new report by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition found that the monthly closure rate of bank branches doubled during the pandemic, resulting in the disappearance of over 4,000 branches from March 2020 to October 2021. Those closures hit low-to-moderate income and communities of color hard, the report’s authors found.
When banks close branches, they reduce operating and staff costs. “In the sense of a merger, it saves a lot of money. If you’re a bank investor, you’re looking for reasons to support the merger,” Jason Richardson, NCRC’s senior director of research and one of the report’s authors, said in an interview.
