Wells Fargo plans announces it will close downtown Bradenton branch office
Wells Fargo announced to its customers this week that it will close the downtown Bradenton branch, 303 Ninth St., W., on Sept. 30.
Nearby branches remaining open include Cortez at 1510 Cortez Road W., and Palmetto at 510 Seventh St. W., the letter to customers said.
Jordan Jacob, a spokesman for Wells Fargo, said the branch closing is based on changes in customer behavior across the southwest Florida region. In addition to the other branches remaining open, customers will be served through WellsFargo.com and mobile banking.
“We continue to evaluate our branch network and base our distribution strategy on customer trends, market factors and economic changes. Based on our current assumptions regarding consumer behavior and our own technology advances, as well as other factors, our total branch network has declined,” Jordan said in an email to the Herald.
“While branches are important in serving our customers’ needs, customers have more ways than ever to bank and digital usage continues to increase. At this time, we cannot provide details on specific locations. However, we will continue to keep top of mind the needs of our communities and team members,” Jordan wrote in answer to a question about whether other Bradenton branch closures are being considered.
In 2018, Wells Fargo announced plans to close 800 branches nationwide by 2020, citing the rise of online and mobile banking.
Wells Fargo acquired the Wachovia company in 2008 for $12.7 billion, and converted the 24 Wachovia bank branches in Manatee and north Sarasota counties to Wells Fargo in 2011.
Wells Fargo held a ribbon cutting at the downtown Bradenton branch to mark the 2011 transition.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wells Fargo has kept drive-thrus open, but limited lobby operations to appointment only. It has also temporarily closed its branch at 2901 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton.
For more information on Wells Fargo bank locations, visit https://www.wellsfargo.com/locator/.
