A team of financial experts has been appointed to decide the future of a closure-threatened RBS branch.
The bank at Comrie was one of 10 given a stay of execution following an announcement of widespread closures earlier this year.
Now RBS has drafted in Johnston Carmichael, Scotland’s largest independent firm of chartered accountants, to carry out a review of the branch over the summer.
The firm will consider any changes in bank use and local circumstances since the closure announcement.
It will also look at alternative banking options and trawl through data and statistics used by RBS to determine which of its branches should be shut.
Johnstone Carmichael will assess all of the branches which were given a temporary reprieve.
Campaigners at Comrie say the review, which is set to conclude in September, gives local people about three months to save their local branch.
Liz Smith, Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said: “The Royal Bank have taken their time to get this review going and there is now a really short window to change the bank’s mind.”
She said: “Details of how people can take part in the review will be announced shortly, but in the meantime I would encourage anyone who opposed the closure of the Comrie branch to get in touch with my office and, crucially, to make sure you use the branch in the next few months.
“Ultimately, it’s important that Comrie gets a fair hearing when it comes to staying open. Branch banking services are a lifeline for many people in the town and it is vital that this remains the case.”
RBS has said it will implement Johnston Carmichael’s recommendations at the end of the review.
Les Matheson, chief executive of personal and business banking, said: “The way people do their banking is changing rapidly and the Royal Bank of Scotland needs to react to that change, but we also realise that we must manage the change carefully.
“Johnston Carmichael is perfectly suited to undertake this independent review because of their history, knowledge and understanding of rural Scottish communities and businesses.
“I am confident that they will undertake a thorough review of these 10 branches and whatever their recommendation, the Royal Bank will accept it in full.”
