NatWest is to shut another 23 branches in England and Wales, adding to a raft of high street banking closures already announced this month. The sites will close in the first half of this year. The bank said the closures were due to more customers moving to mobile and online banking. It comes a week after Lloyds Banking Group said it would close 40 Halifax and Lloyds sites in England and Wales. Lloyds said the number of customers visiting the branches it plans to close had dropped by 60% on average over the last five years. The latest announcement from NatWest means 87 branches have been slated for closure by high street banks so far this year. A NatWest spokesperson said: “As with many industries, most of our customers are shifting to mobile and online banking because it’s faster and easier for people to manage their financial lives. “We understand and recognise that digital solutions aren’t right for everyone or every situation, and that when we close branches we have to make sure that no one is left behind. We take our responsibility seriously to support the people who face challenges in moving online, so we are investing to provide them with support and alternatives that work for them.” Changing customer habits caused by the rise of online banking has prompted banks to rethink their high street presence, with a slew of closures last year. In October, NatWest announced it planned to close 43 branches, adding to 15 announced in May and 21 in February. In November, HSBC announced it would close 114 branches in the UK, more than a quarter of its network. NatWest closures Southampton Bitterne Road, 25 April Blackpool Lytham Road, 25 April London Clapham High Street, 26 April Stroud Bank Buildings, 26 April Fleet Fleet Road, 27 April Heslington Main Street, 27 April Dunstable High Street North, 3 May Maidstone Sutton Road, 4 May Exeter St Thomas Centre, 9 May Bootle Stanley Road, 10 May Crawley Gatwick Road, 11 May Frome Market Place, 11 May Broadwater Broadwater Street East, 16 May Colwyn Bay Abergele Road, 17 May Ilminster East Street, 18 May London Marylebone High Street, 23 May Sheerness High Street, 24 May Llansamlet Phoenix Way, 25 May Cranbrook High Street, 30 May Torquay Newton Road, 31 May Birstall Loughborough Road, 1 June Horwich Lee Lane, TBC Shoreham-by-Sea East Street, TBC