The Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse wants to close 30 branches Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Horst Galuschka
From BZ/dpa
The Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse (MBS) wants to close numerous branches as planned.
MBS CEO Andreas Schulz defended the plan to the “Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung” (Saturday): “We will implement this concept; this is how we position ourselves for the future”. The Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse wants to close 30 of 141 branches and thus triggered criticism.
In the future, customers would have to drive a maximum of 20 kilometers to get to a Sparkasse branch, Schulz told the newspaper. “We will continue to be the provider with by far the largest branch network.”
Schulz said of the reasons for closing branches: “We have branches that only very few customers come to. Around a third of customers no longer visit our branches at all. 80 percent are enabled for online banking,” said Schulz. The economic basis is now endangered at numerous locations.
“In some small branches there are an average of ten service cases per day – i.e. transfers, standing orders, card blocking or the like. If you add in the chatter about the weather, it can be done in just over an hour.”
The Sparkasse boss continued: “From time to time there is a consultation. However, the branches are open several hours a day. And there are always at least two employees present. What are they going to do for the rest of the day?”