Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland change to opening hours in October explained

Lloyds Banking Group, which operates Lloyds Bank, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland, has begun rolling out new, reduced opening hours at all of its 757 high street branches. The changes officially took effect on September 29, but many customers will start to notice and experience the changed times as they visit their local branches this week. Under the new schedule, weekday opening times have been pushed back from 9am to 9:30am.

On Wednesdays, branches will open even later at 10am, as the bank sets aside time for staff training and development. In addition to opening later, most branches will now close earlier too. Previously, closing times varied between 4:30pm and 5pm depending on the location, but under the new structure, doors will shut at either 3:30pm or 4:30pm.

Weekend banking hours are also being cut. On Saturdays, branches will now also open at 9:30am instead of 9am, and many will reportedly close much earlier in the day, typically by either 1pm or 3pm.

The bank emphasised that it continues to offer a range of banking options beyond the high street, including mobile apps, services at Post Offices, and newly established banking hubs.

The group said that over 21 million of its customers now use digital services, which allow 24/7 access to their accounts and transactions.

A spokesperson for Lloyds said the group is changing its branch hours to make them more consistent and easier for customers to understand.

The spokesperson said: "We're changing our branch opening hours to make it simpler and more consistent for our customers.

"We offer more choice for everyday banking than ever before - alongside our apps, customers can visit any Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland branch, and use banking services at their local Post Office or Banking Hub."

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This latest change to opening hours follows the recent confirmation that Lloyds Banking Group will close another 49 branches across its three brands.

The closures, which include 26 Lloyds branches, 10 Halifax locations, and 13 Bank of Scotland sites, are expected to begin in early January 2026 until October. These are part of a broader restructuring plan that will see around 289 branches shut down across 2025 and 2026, as the group continues to scale back its high street presence in response to the ongoing shift towards digital banking.