More than a quarter of people (27%) are still visiting their bank branch at least once per month, according to new research published by Yorkshire Building Society.

The society said its new findings show that providing customers with the ability to transact through their channel of choice is “still vital”.

Yorkshire Building Society’s research, which was based on a survey carried out among 2,000 people, indicated that while most Brits prefer to operate their finances online (57%) or via an organisation’s app (47%), over a fifth (22%) said they still prefer visiting their local branch to complete their banking, with that figure rising to almost a third (31%) of those aged over 55.

The society’s own data has also revealed that over half a million members used passbooks, a physical record of money paid into or taken out of a savings account, for their savings accounts at a branch last year. Although passbooks might be associated with older people or years gone by, the research showed 16% of people still hold a passbook, with that figure increasing to over a quarter (27%) of those between the ages of 18 and 34.

“As this research shows, offering customers a choice of access is vitally important,” said director of savings at Yorkshire Building Society, Chris Irwin.

“Digital adoption has understandably sped up as a quick and easy alternative to face-to-face contact, especially during recent years, but we know a large amount of people still value in-branch banking and physical records.”

When it came to more complex financial needs, over a quarter (27%) of Brits would prefer to seek information from someone face to face in a branch compared to a third (36%) using websites, and 27% opting to find out information via an organisation’s app.

The findings also showed that when it comes to shopping around for a savings provider, over a quarter (26%) of people cited having the ability to visit a local branch as the most important factor.

Irwin added: “Making savings accessible for our customers in a way that best suits them, be that in one of our branches, online or via our app, supports our aim to continue to provide real help to our customers and members.”

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