Volksbank Breisgau Nord is closing its branch in Glottertal. This is understandable, say the mayor and a local councilor. It is still a loss, especially for older people.
The Volksbank Breisgau-Nord is closing its branch in Talstrasse on May 31st. It withdraws completely from the village, leaving no ATMs or bank statement printers behind – unlike the Sparkasse Freiburg-Nördlicher Breisgau. A few years ago, they converted their office into a self-service area. However, Volksbank customers can withdraw money free of charge from the local Raiffeisenbank im Breisgau, which has its headquarters in Gundelfingen.
That it would come to this is not surprising, said Karl Josef Herbstritt in an interview with the BZ. “I’ve been expecting this for a long time.” Corona may have acted as a catalyst, which can also be observed in other areas, according to the Glottertler mayor.
“It’s a real shame for the community, especially for the elderly. An infrastructure mosaic is being lost.” The personal contact with a bank clerk behind the counter was a “social factor” for many and especially helpful for people with developing dementia. But he was happy that Volksbank customers could withdraw cash from the Raiffeisenbank.
Ultimately, he can understand the strategic decision of the Volksbank. “You have to have an understanding of the changed world and accept it as it is,” said the mayor. After all, most people use online banking and the office is no longer as busy. Discussions with customers requiring intensive consultation and larger banking transactions have already generally been carried out in Denzlingen. The bank made a similar argument to the Badische Zeitung.
The CDU councilor Claus Vorgrimler, who works for the savings bank, also shows understanding for the bank’s decision. “Of course it’s a shame for the place, but so much is now possible digitally that hardly anyone goes to a branch to do banking.” In principle, the supply of cash is the only reason why there are still local banks at all. And this service would be retained. He therefore assumes that local customers will be able to bear the withdrawal of the bank.
Because there has been a “blatant” loss of customers in recent years, a wide range of offers can hardly be justified from an economic point of view. Finally, there were at least two employees in one branch who were on site every day, according to Vorgrimler. However, he observes the increasing vandalism with concern, since there has recently been an increase in the number of demolitions and damage to ATMs.
It is still unclear how the rooms in Talstrasse that have now become vacant will be used in the future. The bank is keeping a low profile in this regard. Mayor Herbstritt said he hoped that the property, with two full floors and an attic, would be used commercially in the future. However, he has no information about the Volksbank’s plans. So far there has been a rental apartment in the bank’s own building, the other rooms are used by the bank.
