AIB to close Omagh bank branch

Brick and mortar banking in Tyrone took another blow on Tuesday as AIB announced the closure of its Omagh branch in the town, along with the closure of seven other outlets across the North.

The bank said it had seen a 33% fall in footfall across its physical locations, as customers increasingly move to online banking.

“Having completed a detailed strategic review in the context of a low interest rate environment, a competitive and challenging landscape and changes in how our customers are interacting with us, we are consolidating our branch network in Northern Ireland,” the bank said in a a statement. 

“After careful consideration, we will close 8 branches and their adjoining ATM’s later this year.”

“We have seen customer demand for branch banking diminish, a trend that has been accelerated by the pandemic, and at the same time we are seeing increased usage of our digital services.” 

“The changes we are announcing are necessary to provide a sustainable future for AIB in Northern Ireland so that we can continue to play our part in strengthening the local economy.”

“We remain fully committed to Northern Ireland and will continue to serve customers in our seven remaining locations, through our digital services and alternative customer channels.”

Sinn Fein MLA for West Tyrone Nicola Brogan said the news was hugely disappointing for Omagh residents.