Irish Examiner view: Uncertainty at  Ulster Bank

Future of banking

Ulster Bank CEO Jane Howard said Ulster Bank’s UK parent, NatWest, was still following a strategy to grow operations here. Picture: Gareth Chaney

Ulster Bank chief executive Jane Howard’s note to staff describing as “speculative” reports that NatWest is considering closing 88 branches in the Republic will be greeted with a measure of relief.

While she said Ulster Bank’s UK parent, NatWest, was still following a strategy to grow operations here, she also said that “all strategic options” remained on the table. Two of those options, according to reports on Thursday, involve either winding down Ulster Bank’s Republic of Ireland operations or looking at the possibility of merging with another lender.