Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Fulton Bank, which made headlines last year as the acquirer of failed Republic First Bank, will close 15 branches in the coming months.
Most branches will close April 18, the bank’s corporate communications manager, Steve Trapnell, told Banking Dive. None of the locations set to close are former Republic First locations, he said.
“While it’s never easy to close financial centers, we are making these changes to align our services with trends in how customers conduct their banking, including growth in customers choosing to do their everyday banking using our convenient online and digital solutions,” Trapnell wrote in an emailed statement.
Seven Pennsylvania locations will close, as well as eight locations outside the state, Trapnell told Harrisburg’s ABC News affiliate. Affected customers were notified by letter, he said.
“Changes like this enable us to use our resources efficiently and reinvest in products and services that meet our customers’ evolving financial needs,” Trapnell wrote. “For example, over the past year, we’ve enhanced our online capabilities, enabling more accounts to be opened digitally, expanded banking transactions via our mobile app and introduced customer service chat functionality for greater convenience.”
After the closures, Fulton will maintain 201 locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, the bank said.
Fulton’s human resources team will work with employees of closing branches to identify openings elsewhere in the company, Trapnell said.
The layoffs come on the heels of Fulton’s quarterly earnings report, in which CEO Curtis Myers called 2024 “a record year for Fulton.”
“We made significant progress, both operationally and strategically, and are now realizing the benefits of these efforts in our results,” he said. “With a strong quarter and year, we are very excited and well positioned for continued success in 2025.
