Centralia Bank of America, located at 100 S Pearl Street, is set to close on Nov. 6.
Come this November, Centralia Bank of America will close its doors permanently.
“We notified our customers toward the end of July that we were going to be closing that particular location,” said Britney Sheehan, who is the regional media relations manager for the bank in the Pacific Northwest. “We want to give (customers) ample notification so they can explore options.”
Employees at the Centralia branch, located at 100 S. Pearl St., declined to comment.
Sheehan said many Bank of America customers use online or mobile platforms for day-to-day services, such as transferring money.
“What we are seeing is our financial centers are being used to address substantial conversations,” Sheehan said. “(Such as) planning for retirement, or securing a loan for a business, or establishing a business relationship. These are more complex conversations.”
Sheehan said this is a national trend, but that Centralia isn’t an exception. The branch officially closes on Nov. 6.
Sheehan said that the local ATMs will close as well, but noted there is an ATM in Lacey and several in and around Olympia. The closest one is located at 910 Black Lake Boulevard SW in Olympia, which is about 30 minutes from the Centralia location.
When asked how many people currently work at the branch, Sheehan would not answer.
“We don’t disclose employment figures, but what I can tell you is when we close a financial center, we work with employees to find alternatives,” Sheehan said.
She also would not say how many people currently use the branch in Centralia.
When asked if she saw a trend in Bank of America branches closing due to customers banking more online, Sheehan would only say, “It’s an evolving strategy.”
Bank of America Corp. is the second-largest bank in the U.S. by assets, after JPMorgan Chase & Co, according to www.relbanks.com. It is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has approximately 4,400 retail and financial centers in the nation.
Sheehan did not respond to an inquiry of how many branches will close in the U.S. in the next six months. She also did not know how many branches are in the state of Washington, or how many are expected to close in the next six months.
