RBS Group
Mobile banking
What happened?
The people of New Deer soon got to work on a campaign to save the bank. They gained the support of local councillors and their MP and sent a petition to the Clydesdale Bank. However, the bank turned down their request and went ahead with the closure. At the end of the year the building was shut down.
A group of residents formed the Buchan Enterprise Group with the aim of buying the empty building and then convincing another bank that their community could support a profitable branch.
The response of RBS
RBS had already reacted to the wave of bank closures that were affecting rural communities. Since 1953, RBS had provided a mobile banking service that visited the various towns and villages each week. This enabled the customers to pay in and collect cash, order foreign currency, and link up by a special telephone service to deal with mortgages, insurance, credit cards and investments. The RBS mobile bank visited New Deer every Thursday and they were prepared to listen to the local residents who wanted a full bank service five days a week.