PNC is closing two more bank branches in the Pittsburgh region.
The branches at 100 Grant Ave. in Vandergrift and at Duquesne University are scheduled to close at 3 p.m. March 17.
An ATM will remain open at the Vandergrift location but not at Duquesne, according to PNC spokeswoman Olivia Lammel.
Once the closures take effect, the closest PNC for customers who bank at the Vandergrift branch would be the PNC in Buffalo Township at 620 S. Pike Road. Customers who bank at the Duquesne University branch could choose to use the 437 Grant St. branch in Downtown Pittsburgh.
PNC did not provide a reason for the closures or the number of employees affected at each branch.
In June 2021, PNC closed branches in McCandless, Ambridge and Oakdale.
In 2020, PNC closed 52 branches, including nine in Western Pennsylvania.
Lammel said complex evaluations are routinely performed on branches to determine whether PNC is most effectively meeting customer needs.
“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,” she said.
Lammel said PNC does its best to reassign staff from closing branches to other positions within PNC.
“This may include moving to another branch or into a different type of role,” she said. “We aim to provide opportunities for employees that are a good fit for them based on their skills and experience.”
PNC customers are able to conduct many transactions remotely, using technology such as digital payments, video and online banking and voice banking systems.
“The availability of these banking channels has changed the use of branches for basic transactions,” Lammel said.
In addition to the Buffalo Township branch, there are PNC branches in Natrona Heights, Harrision and New Kensington.
Vandergrift has one other bank in the borough, First Commonwealth Bank, at 601 Hancock Ave.
Vandergrift Councilwoman Marilee Kessler said she is disappointed to see PNC leaving Vandergrift’s historic business district.
“While I hate to see a business leave the community, I also understand the reasons this is happening throughout the banking industry,” Kessler said. “Fewer and fewer people actually visit brick-and-mortar banks anymore. So much banking is done electronically.”
According to data from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), branch closure rates doubled during the pandemic, with 9% of all U.S. branch locations closing between 2017 and 2021, resulting in about 7,500 brick-and-mortar banks shuttering.
Kessler pointed out that the age of the bank building in Vandergrift could have played a part in the decision.
“There is a high cost for maintenance and repair of a grand old structure like the Vandergrift bank building,” she said.
Kessler said the bank’s brick-and-mortar departure in March definitely will be felt by some borough residents.
“I do have a serious concern about the loss of services for our residents when it comes to discussing investments and loans,” she said. “I think it’s a great loss to not have the ability to discuss financial questions with a trusted hometown person and be able to look them in the eye. My hope is that another financial institution will fill that need and that the building will continue to be an impressive anchor in our business area.”
PNC operates more than 2,600 locations and almost 60,000 PNC and partner ATMs across the country.
Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joyce by email at jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter .