Bank of America and Chase to Close 15 Locations Together Amid Widespread ‘Bank Branch Massacre’ – Is YOUR Local One Affected?

Bank of America filed last week to close nine branches and Chase filed to close six.

Citizens, Trustco, Patriot and US Bank also each reported upcoming branch closures, according to the latest bulletin from their regulator, the Office of the Comptroller of the Monet (OCC).

In total, banks across the country notified the OCC of the closure of 19 branches between October 29 and November 4.

Five of those affected California, in Castaic, Hermosa Beach, Oakland, Valencia and Wilmington.

During that same time frame, Chase notified the regulator that it would open four locations in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Missouri.

In total, banks across the country notified the OCC of the closure of 19 branches between October 29 and November 4. Chase has notified the regulator of 10, two of which were in California.

Trustco currently has approximately 145 locations throughout New York, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont.

Patriot is a relatively small bank based in Connecticut with fewer than ten branches in the state and one in Scarsdale, New York.

The only closure reported by US Bank that week occurred in Portland, Oregon.

This year alone, a total of 1,144 national and regional banks closed between Jan. 1 and July 31 in 49 states, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data reviewed by DailyMail.com.

It was found that New Jersey had the highest rate of bank closures of any U.S. state.

And these latest closures come after an exclusive DailyMail.com poll found that 51 percent of consumers said they were very or somewhat concerned about the dwindling number of bank branches.

The study also found that physical services were less accessible to Black Americans. While 14 percent of black Americans said they don’t have a local chapter, only 8 percent of white Americans did.

When banks close a branch, they must notify the OCC.

The only closure between October 29 and November 4 reported by US Bank occurred in Portland, Oregon

Between October 29 and November 4, Citizens filed to close a single bank in Concord, Massachusetts

Trustco currently has approximately 145 locations throughout New York, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont

In a statement to DailyMail.com in August, a spokesperson said: “The OCC understands the importance of bank branches and is committed to supporting access to banking services in all communities.”

They also noted that while banks and credit unions must notify their “primary regulator” of closures, the law requiring them to do so does not allow the regulator to object to the closure.

It also noted that the OCC does not regulate all banks in the U.S. and that banks have some discretion regarding whether to close a branch after filing.

“Typically, notices appear when the transactions are effective, although branch closures typically appear when the OCC receives notice of the proposed closure,” they said.