Bosses at Nationwide have revealed details of a property restructure which will remove the Dunfermline Building Society brand from Scotland’s high streets.
Branches in Cowdenbeath and Rosyth are among six which will be closed outright when the changes take effect next summer, while Nationwide said the merger of 19 “neighbouring” branches and rebranding in a further seven locations would help improve access for Dunfermline customers.
It is thought that around 90 jobs will be lost across the branch network as a result of the changes, but Nationwide was quick to stress that it hoped to keep the number of redundancies as low as possible and had not announced any compulsory job cuts.
Nationwide snapped up Dunfermline in 2009, after the Fife brand was forced into administration following massive losses on its commercial property loans.
Only now is it taking steps to integrate the businesses, following a “period of stability” which it says was designed to benefit members and employees.
Nationwide chief operating officer Tony Prestedge said: “It is a logical step to integrate our businesses under one unified, strong, and nationally recognisable brand.
“The strength of the Nationwide brand is increasingly compelling, and we will offer customers of the Dunfermline a vastly improved proposition.”
The building society said customer accounts and products would be integrated at the same time as the property revamp but a spokeswoman said all members would receive individual letters about what this would mean for them well in advance of the changes.
Existing Dunfermline branches in Edinburgh, Pitreavie and St Andrews will be among the seven to be rebranded, while those in Dundee, Falkirk, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy, Leven, Montrose, Perth and Stirling are eight of the 16 which will be “integrated” into nearby Nationwide outlets.
Cupar and Dunfermline are two of the three locations which will see Nationwide close its present office and take over existing Dunfermline sites.
Nationwide said many of the branches affected by the integration plans were just yards apart, or even next door to one another.
It also plans to integrate the Chesire and Derbyshire building society brands into its portfolio following the completion of work with Dunfermline.