Banner Bank to close mid-December

Banner Bank has informed local customers that it will be closing its Point Roberts branch and consolidating its operations with its Blaine branch on December 11. The branch is located within the International Marketplace grocery store.

Kelly McPhee, Banner Bank vice president of communications and public relations, said the decision was taken after careful consideration. “We certainly enjoyed serving Point Roberts,” she said, “but client expectations continue to evolve” and explained that more and more customers are choosing to do their banking online through their phones or computers.

Asked if the pandemic played a role in the decision, she said it was a minor consideration. “This move to mobile banking has been going on for some time now and people simply don’t have to go into a branch to do their banking like they used to. We have to pay attention to how our customers bank. Not only is this a growing preference, it is a permanent trend.”