Cumberland commits to Langholm
The Cumberland Building Society has underlined its commitment to Langholm as the town’s last remaining bank prepares to close.
Bank of Scotland’s Langholm branch is due to shut in April. That follows the closure of Royal Bank of Scotland’s Langholm branch in 2018.
But the Cumberland has reassured customers it has no plans to follow suit.
Ryan McCubbin, the society’s cluster manager for Scotland, said: “Our branch network is hugely important to us.
“Our purpose is to deliver ‘kinder banking’ that looks after people, the planet and communities and it’s our commitment to the communities we serve that has made the Cumberland successful for almost 175 years.
“We are still investing in branches. Our English Street branch in Carlisle reopened a few weeks ago after a major refurbishment and we have plans to refurbish further branches in the near future.
“Our customers value that physical presence, especially for dealing with complex matters. Many people still feel reassured if they can talk to a real person.
“Providing access to cash at a branch is incredibly important for our customers in Langholm and we recognise that.”
Unusually for a building society, The Cumberland, which is based in Carlisle, offers personal and business current accounts with the all the features of a bank current account such as online banking and a mobile app.
Its Langholm branch, in High Street, opens every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9.30am to 1.30pm and 2.30pm to 4pm. The team includes customer assistants James Taylor and Michaela Tiedemann.
James said the branch fulfilled a social function, particularly for those living on their own who value face-to-face contact.
He added: “Everybody looks to the Cumberland because we’re easy to talk to and we go the extra mile to support the town. I’m proud to work for the society.”
The Cumberland recently donated £150 to enable Langholm Baby and Toddler Group to host a Hallowe’en party.
Bank of Scotland customers in Langholm face a 36-mile round trip to Annan or a 46-mile round trip to Hawick when their branch closes on April 7.