Associated Bank, a division of Associated Banc-Corp, announced it will close 12 retail branches in Wisconsin and Illinois to enhance efficiency in its branch network.
The move comes on the heels of the closing of 21 Associated Bank branches in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota earlier this year.
“Our company’s unwavering goal is to provide consistent, reliable value to both customers and shareholders. In order to best balance these needs, we regularly evaluate our operations to ensure we are delivering the service, convenience and value they expect,” said David Stein, executive vice president of retail banking at Associated Bank. “Industry-wide, customer banking habits have continued to shift toward online, ATM, mobile banking, phone and other electronic means. As a result, branch traffic in many cases has been declining, making it increasingly difficult to continue to operate branches that are in close proximity to each other. Therefore, we will be closing a small number of Associated branches and consolidating them into nearby locations.”
Each impacted branch averages approximately a two-mile drive from another Associated location, allowing most affected customers to easily access branch services, the company said.
The impacted locations will be closed early in the first quarter of next year.
Many of the affected employees may be able to transfer within the organization, the company said.
The Wisconsin branches to be closed include offices in Wausau, Sheboygan, Appleton, Manitowoc, Eau Claire, Oshkosh, Hudson, Hammond, De Pere and Saukville.
The company also will close branches in Peoria and Lindenhurst, Ill.
