Chase Says It’s Closing Its ATMs Early Due to “Rising Crime and Vagrancy”
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Even though it’s gotten much easier to manage your money right from your phone or computer, there are still a few things that require a trip to the bank . Fortunately, even those with busy schedules can still grab any quick cash they need or make a deposit after business hours by using a branch’s ATM. But sometimes, the convenience of being able to get these to-do list items done can make it easy to forget that safety is still a concern. And now, Chase says that it’s closing some of its ATMs early due to “rising crime and vagrancy.” Read on to see why the bank is changing its hours of operation.
READ THIS NEXT: PNC Bank Is Closing 32 More Branches in 10 States, Starting Early Next Year .
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ATMs can be a savior when you need to make a transaction after working hours. But after a customer recently tweeted that branches appeared to be locking up earlier, the bank confirmed that it was limiting access to its around-the-clock vestibules in New York City due to security concerns .
“Our apologies. We decide to close several ATM vestibules at 5 PM or 6 PM, aligning the hours of service to that of the normal branch hours, due to rising crime and vagrancy that occurred in these previously 24/7 vestibules,” the company wrote.
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When reached for comment, the bank confirmed that it had changed access hours for customers at some locations.
“For the safety of our customers and employees, we may temporarily close some ATMs overnight,” a spokesperson for Chase said in a statement emailed to Best Life . “Only a small portion of the ATMs we have in NYC are closing after regular business hours, and many of our ATMs remain open 24 hours.”
When asked for a set of locations affected by the schedule changes or a potential time frame for when they would be in effect, the representative declined to elaborate, saying: “We don’t have more details to share beyond our statement.”
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While the bank declined to specify any particular reason for its sudden decision to limit access to its ATMs, one of its locations was the site of a late-night attack that left one person seriously injured. On Jan. 19, a Chase customer was standing inside a branch vestibule on W. 40th Street and Eighth Avenue in Manhattan at 3:40 a.m. when an unknown assailant tossed a cup of scalding hot coffee into his face before fleeing, local news outlet 1010 WINS reports.
Police responding to the incident said that it was unprovoked and that nothing was stolen during the altercation. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition, where he was treated for burns to the right side of his face, neck, and shoulder, reports 1010 WINS.
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Despite the company saying it made the changes for the safety of its customers, many are already upset with the bank for the inconvenience. Some took to social media to air their frustrations with the move.
“Are you going to refund the ATM fees to customers when we get ripped off to use a bodega ATM to pay for our late night slice of pizza, because you can’t provide a basic service to account holders? I didn’t think so,” one user replied to the bank’s initial tweet announcing the changes.
“If ATMs aren’t available when the bank is closed, what’s the point?” another irate user questioned . “Given your bigshots’ salaries there’s clearly room for security where it’s deemed required.”
However, this is also not the first instance of Chase limiting access to its ATM vestibules. Last summer, the bank began locking the doors to its 1120 Sixth Avenue location in Manhattan at 10 p.m. and reopening them at 7 a.m. as it dealt with security concerns, the New York Post reported.
PNC Bank Is Closing 32 More Branches in 10 States, Starting Early Next Year
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Even in the age of online banking, “run to the bank” is a pretty standard line on a to-do list. Maybe you need to deposit a larger check or pick up a new debit card—or perhaps you prefer to use your bank’s ATM and avoid those annoying transaction fees. No matter your motive, having a local bank is a convenience, and it can really throw a wrench in things when branches close. Unfortunately, PNC Bank just announced that it will be closing 32 additional branches across 10 states in the near future. Read on to find out if your local bank will be shuttered in early 2023.
READ THIS NEXT: Grocery Stores Including Stop & Shop Are Closing Locations, Starting Jan. 2 .
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In July, PNC announced plans to close approximately 135 in-store locations. According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, all of these branches were located inside grocery stores , including 127 in Giant Food and Stop & Shop supermarkets throughout Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. The remaining eight branches were all in ShopRite stores in Pennsylvania, with closures beginning in October.
As it turns out, brick-and-mortar bank closures are part of an ongoing national trend, as more customers shift to mobile and online banking. Shutting down locations inside retail establishments is a separate but related trend, the Pittsburgh Business Times explained in July, and financial institutions are closing these branches at an even faster rate.
PNC’s latest round of closures will affect even more of its customer base, including those who frequent traditional and in-store branches.
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According to the Dec. 10 weekly bulletin from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), PNC Bank has plans to close 32 locations in early 2023. By the Pittsburgh Business Times’ calculations, this brings the total number of branches to be closed to 77.
Banks are required to notify the OCC at least 90 days in advance of closures. Because the latest filings were from the time period period between Dec. 4 and Dec. 12, the earliest that these branches could close is in March.
According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, two locations in the Pittsburgh metro area have confirmed they will be closing at 3 p.m. on March 17, 2023.
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PNC is the sixth-largest bank in the U.S., according to NerdWallet. As of September, the bank had 2,600 branches in 28 states, but that number is steadily declining.
Per the OCC, Virginia and Maryland will say goodbye to the most PNC branches, as six are slated to close in each state. Alabama, Texas, and Pennsylvania are each losing four locations, while Indiana will lose three. Two PNC branches in Illinois are being axed, as are individual locations in Arizona, Florida, and North Carolina.
According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, 11 of these closures are additional locations inside of grocery stores. Street addresses and cities are listed on the OCC bulletin.
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In a statement to the Pittsburgh Business Times, a spokesperson for PNC confirmed that multiple factors were considered when deciding which locations would be shut down.
“PNC recognizes that branches continue to play an important role for many customers when it comes to conducting certain transactions and holding important in-person financial conversations with our banking experts,” the spokesperson said. “That is why we routinely evaluate our branch network, together with our other available methods of banking, to determine if we are most effectively meeting our customers’ needs.”
It’s not all bad news, either, as the banking chain also confirmed that it will be opening eight branches as well. New locations will be established in Atlanta; Houston; College Park, Maryland; Doral, Florida; and in Alexandria and Reston, Virginia, according to the Dec. 10 bulletin. In November, individual PNC branches in Springfield, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., were also approved to open .
