Birmingham officials urge Truist not to close Roebuck bank branch
Truist plans to close its Roebuck bank branch in three weeks, but Birmingham officials are hoping the Charlotte-based banking giant will have a change of heart.
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday passed a resolution urging Truist not to shut down the Roebuck branch located at 629 Red Lane Road.
Signs at the bank branch say it will close Tuesday, March 19, at noon.
The branch is referring customers to the Trussville branch.at 285 Calumet Parkway. Employees referred questions to the Charlotte headquarters media relations department, which has not yet responded to a request for comment.
City Council member Clinton Woods said the city wants to talk to bank representatives about “what could potentially be done to keep you in this area.”
Woods noted that there was progress happening in Roebuck, including plans for the nearby busy Chick-Fil-A at 9345 Parkway East to tear down and rebuild a more modern restaurant. A manager at the restaurant said he could not confirm those plans and the company has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Also, the Roebuck YMCA is undergoing renovation, the city is planning new sidewalks on Red Lane Road and the former North Roebuck Elementary School is being turned into a pre-kindergarten care center, Woods said.
Woods said his message to the bank is simple: “Come to the table and least have this conversation.”
As part of a $750 million cost-cutting move, Truist also plans to close its branch at 3419 Pulaski Pike N.W. in Huntsville and is expected to close 72 branches in Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia, in addition to the Alabama locations.
Truist has locations in more than 50 Alabama cities. Following the closures, it will operate 1,900 branches and 2,900 ATMs.
Earlier this month, Roebuck residents protested the planned closure.
Birmingham City Council passed the following:
A resolution urging Truist Bank to reconsider the closing of Truist Bank locations within the City of Birmingham, specifically at 629 Red Lane Road and a request for the banking officials to demonstrate how the citizens of Birmingham will receive its share of community benefits (Submitted by Councilor Clinton Woods, chair of Workforce Development Committee)