SIR - TWENTY years ago, when we first came to the North Coast, we moved our bank accounts to the Northern Bank, Bushmills.
We did that for two main reasons - it was a local bank which meant access to staff for transactions and for any queries, there was easy parking.
We have now been notified the Branch is to close in December.
The nearest banks will then be roun
d trips of eight or 18 miles (Portrush or Coleraine), inconvenient and expensive journeys, especially for pensioners, plus parking charges and longer walks.
No doubt the Northern Bank will respond by suggesting customers use telephone or internet banking, but many, especially the elderly, are wary and hesitant to use such systems and prefer the personal touch.
We are now shopping around to see what other banks have to offer, and it looks as if we will be transferring our allegiances to one of the two associated with the Post Office.
This means we can still do some of the transactions locally in the Bushmills Post Office, all we have to hope is that it remains open.
I wonder how many other Bushmills ‘loyal’ Northern Bank customers are now also considering the same move?
Meantime, we would like to thank the staff of Bushmills Northern Bank for 20 years of good service, and we wish them well for the future.
Mr and Mrs B Willis, Bushmills
The full article contains 240 words and appears in Ballymoney Times newspaper.
