Schwerin/Berlin (dpa/mv) – The savings banks in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have given up about a third of their offices in the past ten years. On Thursday, Sparkasse Mecklenburg-Schwerin announced that it would close five of its 28 branches in mid-November. The locations Brüel, Marnitz, Mestlin and Vellahn as well as one of the six branches in Schwerin are affected. The self-service offer is still available there.
“With this moderate adjustment, we are taking customer behavior towards online banking and the increased use of digital offers into account,” explained CEO Kai Lorenzen. With its competence centers for financial advice, corporate customers, real estate brokerage and financing as well as insurance, the savings bank responsible for Schwerin and the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim will continue to provide specialist advice.
The increased use of the Internet for banking transactions and the general pressure to save in the industry have been causing the branch network to shrink for years. According to the East German Savings Banks Association, the eight regional savings banks in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania had 168 branches in the middle of this year. In 2011, when there were still ten independent savings banks in the country, there were still 256 according to the association, and then 239 in 2020. Despite the decline, the savings banks in the north-east still have the densest branch network.
