By Jesse Wood
The Bank of America branch in Banner Elk will permanently close on Nov. 28, 2017.
Jennifer Darwin, a regional spokeswoman for Bank of America, said that no other local financial centers will be impacted apart from the recent announcement that the Banner Elk bank was closing.
“Customer accounts will be transferred to the closest financial center, which in this case will be in Boone at 1800 Blowing Rock Rd. Customers were mailed letters the first week of Aug. and information is being distributed in the financial centers,” Darwin wrote in an email on Monday.
This closure is part of the “retailpocalypse” as bank branches close as less and less people do their banking in brick-and-mortar branches. Since 2009, Bank of America has consolidated or closed nearly a quarter of its branches. The story isn’t much different with other banks.
“We are seeing a shift in how our clients are banking. Every day, more customers use their mobile phone or online banking to do their basic transactions, and they come into our centers when they want advice and guidance for their more complex needs,” Darwin said. “In some instances, we have consolidated centers, like this one. Our decision here is really based on customer preference and how they are using our services today.”
As for the Banner Elk location, Darwin said the building will be placed on the market for sale and the ATM will close.
“We are actively looking to place a new ATM in the market at a convenient location. This new ATM might not be available at the same time the old one is closed, but should be available shortly,” Darwin said.