DANSKE Bank will close its University Road branch in South Belfast in one of four closures across the North.

The company said the branch will close on October 22, but said there will be no compulsory redundancies as a result of the closures.

Danske Bank said it was responding to a rise in the number of people banking online or by phone.

The company has published an impact closure assessment for each branch which shows the level of transactions has reduced between January 2017 and May 2021 with transactions at the University Road branch have reduced by 24 per cent.

Aisling Press, Danske Bank's managing director of personal banking, said the move is due to changing customer habits.

"Many are choosing to use alternative ways of banking with us, such as our online banking, app or banking on the telephone," she said.

"As a business, we must respond to these changes. This can mean reviewing, and adapting, our investment strategies.

"We have invested over £5.5m in 19 branches across Northern Ireland over the past number of years and we continually look for new opportunities to develop our technology to serve our customers.

"The business had to make difficult decisions to close certain branches that are being used less and are no longer sustainable."

She added: "We do not make these decisions lightly."