When you hear the phrase mobile banking, the primary issue that involves mind is that the handy app on your smartphone.
But for people who board remote villages, mobile banking suggests that one thing terribly completely different.Mobile banking vans are driving round the GB for many years, however additional bank closures suggests that they have been experiencing a betterment.
According to the Campaign for Community Banking Services (CCBS), a lobby cluster, 650 bank branches can move on the united kingdom by the tip of 2015.
But could be a mobile bank a true replacement for a bricks and mortar branch? Or area unit they merely a promotion stunt? we have a tendency to spent the day on one within the south Wales valleys to search out out.
09:45 – Resolven
We begin the day in Resolven, a village with two,000 residents. Not many purchasers have braved the perishingly weather condition, however mobile branch manager Pat Bevan and client assistant Helen of Troy Banfield provide each client a heat welcome.
Pat has been on the road since the van started 9 years past, and each she and Helen of Troy drive 'Herbie' on his routes across south Wales.
Peter Evans, 54, lives simply up the road from wherever the bus is position at the doorway to the village.
"It's nice to possess real individuals. i do know it's owing to cost-cutting however it's nice to possess somebody to alter face to face. Banking is turning into additional impersonal," Peter says.
Cost-cutting is unquestionably on the agenda for Natwest and RBS. in step with campaign cluster Move Your cash, the banking big is liable for a 3rd of the UK's bank closures, with 385 of their branches closing in 2014 and 2015. Of these, one hundred sixty five were the last bank in city.
Natwest recently closed twelve branches in west Wales, however Pat points out that a replacement van is on the road to interchange them, and she or he has another new stops to her van's already packed route: "Banks cannot afford to possess branches that are not busy," she says.
I went cash-only for every week and it had been a nightmare
11:00 – Coelbren
As we have a tendency to drive additional into the depression towards our next stop we have a tendency to see the beginning of the Brecon Beacons parkland and drive past fields of sheep – a picture-perfect vision of the Welsh country, if a trifle gray.
"The van could be a nice facilitate to native individuals," say Chitralekha and Varinder Dutt, each in their 70s, World Health Organization see it arrive in Coelbren from their window.
The village recently lost its Post workplace, and with it the sole manner of retreating and depositing money.
It's owing to the Dutts the van stops here in the slightest degree. Chitralekha started a petition to urge the van to prevent within the village 3 years past and got forty signatures from locals.
Jane White walks on to the van carrying muddy wellies along with her Labrador dog, Poppy, in tow: "I do lots of my banking on-line however if I actually have cash to deposit i exploit the van," she says.
Jane is within the minority once it involves on-line banking – most customers World Health Organization use the van are not laptop literate and haven't any want to try to to their banking on-line.
It isn't simply the van's customers World Health Organization area unit reluctant to vary their ways that. Pat is aware of that Herbie can ought to get replaced by a replacement advanced van shortly. however like her customers she does not trust technology.
"I would not wish any computers on here – i do know wherever i'm with a pen and paper," she says.
"I do not have a laptop in my house!"
Since 2014 Natwest and RBS have endowed £600,000 in 5 new advanced vans. They feature their own satellites, pill computers and a replacement unrestricted style. however these new vans haven't reached the Welsh valleys simply nevertheless.
Walk onto the van and it's like stepping back in time, complete with a glass partition and not a screen in view.
In associate degree age wherever we are able to send cash across the planet and check our balance in seconds, the van's systems haven't modified since they were 1st seen in Scotland within the last century.
Pat's ledger, during which she details the day's activities, is well-thumbed and that they ought to create phone calls to examine customer's balances. Notes area unit made from every customer's transactions and therefore the van heads back to branch at the tip of the day to update their accounts, which suggests things take longer.
Does the van ought to update to stay customers? "Well we've ne'er had anyone come back on here and raise to use a pill," says Pat.
It's official – shift bank accounts will prevent cash
12:00 – Hirwaun
Our next stop is that the biggest on the route, and there area unit even a number of outlets.
A chippie, off licence and pharmacy all serve the residents of Hirwaun, however the village does not have its own bank. solely a couple of places on the van's route have any bank branches.
Cledwyn and female parent Lynne Morgan opened a bank account with Natwest owing to the van. They conjointly bank with Barclays however Cledwyn finds their in-branch service "impersonal".
"We may originated a rules of order then again i would not leave the house," he says.
Customers World Health Organization have lost their native bank branch frequently are available in associate degreed raise however {they will|they will|they'll} switch to Natwest or open an account so that they can use the van too.
"The van is an advertisement on wheels," says Helen of Troy.
Pat and Helen of Troy frequently go higher than and on the far side, ringing customers in person once the van is delayed or cannot reach them that week and delivery the van to them if they can not leave the house.
Today isn't any exception. Regular client Anthony Poole is celebrating his eightieth birthday over the weekend and Pat and Helen of Troy have a card and a bottle of wine prepared for him.
As the smart gent boards the bus the women sing Happy Birthday, and therefore the ex-RAF man and retired teacher is visibly touched.
He does not even ought to use the bank that week, however pops in barely to mention howdy. He calls the ladies World Health Organization work on the van princesses: "I'm head over heels in love with all of them!" he gushes.
Meet the present account switchers
14:00 – Seven Sisters
After a morbid lunch break dominating a burial site, we have a tendency to head across the depression to Seven Sisters wherever native bowls club money handler Dellith Jones makes her weekly stop with the members' subs.
"When the mines we have a tendency tore open we had everything here – the banks, the Co-operatives. however everything here is closing – as long because the Post workplace stays open," says Dellith.
"It's okay for those that drive, however there area unit senior individuals around here."
Pat believes that the van provides a much-needed supply of company for its customers, particularly throughout the winter months: "We could be the sole individuals they speak to all or any day."
a way to teach youngsters regarding cash
15:00 – Crynant
Our final stop of the day could be a lay by on the facet of the most road in Crynant, wherever only one client stops by.
Each week Jim Delaney deposits the funds for his church, the Sacred Heart within the neighbor city of Ystragynlais.
This week he is brought his grandchild mount, World Health Organization deposits the church's cash reciprocally for a bag of sweets.
Jim Delaney, a client on the mobile bank branch
I solely come back for the corporate," jokes Jim, World Health Organization like most of the purchasers we have a tendency to meet throughout the day is over sixty.
Helen believes that Natwest area unit taking care of its older customers by continued to run the van: "I suppose we're still providing the service that those customers wish," Helen of Troy says.
It's exhausting to argue that vans will extremely replace the many branches closing per annum, however to the individuals they serve it suggests that most over an area to bank.
At a time once personal banking has virtually been entirely replaced with screens – and a few banks haven't any physical presence in the slightest degree – the van takes customers back to a bygone era once a bank was the centre of a community, giving a service that puts individuals 1st.
Ben waves good day and therefore the bus makes the long journey back to the branch, to take advantage for the day: "Perhaps technology would be nice," laughs Pat.