Santander Bank has notified its federal regulator that it intends to shutter four of its 21 Connecticut branches, including three in Greater Hartford.
Santander informed the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency of the pending closures last week, which include:
- 85 East Main St., Plainville
- 2 South Main St., Unionville/Farmington
- 96 Bridge St., East Windsor
- 184 Chase Ave., Waterbury
In a statement, Kerri Beliveau, Santander district executive, linked the closures with the growth of online banking.
“In response to these changes, we are consolidating the number of our branches and increasing our investment in digital capabilities, as well as other products and services that are in line with the evolving needs of our customers,” Beliveau said. “We remain committed to the greater Hartford community, and look forward to working with our customers at our other locations in the area and through our 24/7 digital banking channels and ATMs.”
The Spanish-owned Santander has operated the four locations since 2000, when it was called Sovereign Bank.
That year, Santander (then called Sovereign Bank) entered the New England market through the acquisition of nearly 280 New England branches — nearly 40 of which were in Connecticut and the bulk of those in Hartford County — from the then-merging BankBoston and Fleet National Bank.
Like many banks in the Connecticut market and across the country, Santander’s brick-and-mortar branch footprint has decreased over the years, spurred by technology, industry consolidation and other factors.
Santander’s current branch count in the state is down from 32 locations a decade ago, according to federal data.
This story has been updated to include comment from Santander.
