Millions of Santander customers have been given a major reassurance after the bank pledged not to close any more branches before at least 2028.
The high street lender said it will keep all of its 305 Santander branches and 175 TSB branches open until at least 2028 following its takeover of TSB earlier this year.
The announcement comes after years of widespread bank branch closures across the UK and just months after Santander confirmed another round of closures affecting 44 branches and putting 291 jobs at risk.
Despite continuing to invest heavily in digital banking and artificial intelligence, Santander's new chief executive Mahesh Aditya said physical branches remain central to the bank's future.
He said: "As we integrate TSB with Santander UK, our ambition for customers is to combine leading digital services with the personal support they value, helping us to create the best bank for customers in the UK."
In a move likely to reassure customers who rely on face-to-face banking, he added: "I see branches as an important part of our strategy and do not intend to close any additional Santander or TSB branches before 2028 at the earliest."
Mr Aditya also pledged continued investment in branches, saying Santander will continue "modernising our network and introduce new Work Cafes."
The promise follows similar commitments from rival banks including NatWest and HSBC, while Nationwide has gone even further by guaranteeing all of its branches will remain open until at least 2030.
However, consumer groups warned the announcement comes after much of the damage has already been done.
Sam Richardson, deputy editor of Which? Money, said: "In the last decade, there have been widespread bank branch closures across the UK, with Santander alone shutting two-thirds of its branches since 2015."
He added: "While this announcement will no doubt be good news for some Santander and TSB customers, the fact remains that the worst of the damage has already been done."
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The branch pledge came as Santander revealed profits fell sharply during the first half of the year.
Pre-tax profits dropped 31% to £528 million, hit by nearly £180 million set aside to deal with the ongoing motor finance mis-selling scandal, alongside higher bad debt provisions and restructuring costs.
The bank also confirmed it is continuing a major cost-cutting programme, targeting at least £400 million in savings by the end of 2028 through greater use of automation and artificial intelligence following its £2.65 billion acquisition of TSB.
Santander said further restructuring is planned during 2026 as it continues integrating the two banks, although customers have now been assured that no additional branch closures are expected before 2028.
The lender also recently revealed it contacted 146,000 customers it believes are most at risk from rising energy bills, while forecasting the Bank of England's base rate could increase to 4% by the end of this year before gradually falling again over the following two years.
