by Graham Sturgeon, co-editor
Two banks in the city of Durand will close their doors in early 2017. The Citizens Bank branch at 210 N. Saginaw St. will close Jan. 30. Across the street at 300 N. Saginaw St., FirstMerit Bank will close its branch at the end of business day on Feb. 17. SAGElink Credit Union at 311 N. Saginaw St. and Fifth Third Bank at 5300 S. Durand Rd. will remain as banking options for Durand residents.
The decision to close the FirstMerit branch in Durand coincides with the bank’s merger with Huntington Bank, which took place this past summer. All FirstMerit Bank branches will change to Huntington branches following the Presidents Day weekend in 2017.
A Citizens Bank statement issued regarding the decision to close the Durand branch reads, “As a part of managing our business, we consistently review customer traffic patterns and preferences at our branches to help us refine our approach to meeting customer needs. After a recent interview, we made the business decision to close the Durand branch. Given the popularity of mobile and online banking, we have significantly expanded these services and are continuing to invest in this area as we also make improvements to our ATM network and in-branch services. In addition, we continue to serve customers at other local branches, including our Owosso branch, which is located approximately 10 miles away.”
Representatives from both Huntington and Citizens banks report that employees will have the option to stay with the company. As a result of the closures, the next-closest Citizens branch will be in Owosso, while the next-closest FirstMerit/Huntington branch will be found in Swartz Creek.
