Ten of the 13 smaller branches of the Sparkasse will close at the turn of the year.
A bitter loss for some citizens.
The mayors are disappointed - and are planning consequences.
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen - It is a bitter loss for inpatient care in rural areas: Sparkasse Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen plans to close 10 of its 13 smaller branches at the turn of the year.
The branches in Dietramszell, Reichersbeuern, Egling, Königsdorf and Waldram become self-service points.
The locations in Icking, Bad Heilbrunn, Gaißach, Jachenau and Walchensee are completely abandoned.
Not all affected communities want to accept this without complaint.
It's a tough business and the numbers, unfortunately, speak very clearly
Rainer Kopnicky, Mayor of Königsdorf
"The development is very worrying," says Königsdorf's town hall chief Rainer Kopnicky. There are still many stationary offers in his community - "we have doctors, an inn, local suppliers, bakers, butchers". The loss of the savings bank was a blow to the office. "Every mayor cares about the supply in his place," says Kopnicky. “It's always a struggle to keep it up.” In the case of the Sparkasse, however, no solution could be found in talks. “It's a tough business, and the numbers regrettably speak a very clear language.” Many customers, including older ones, are now using the bank's online services. The frequency in the branch on the main street is too low. Kopnicky makes it clear:“An ATM and a bank statement printer are definitely still needed.” There are also considerations for an interim solution, but nothing is ready to be said yet.
Test operation in the tourist info should close the gap
In Walchensee you are already one step further.
A test phase will run until the end of 2022 with a service point in the tourist information office that is manned once a week.
"I am glad that we can at least manage this offer," says Kochel's Mayor Thomas Holz.
"We are happy to provide the rooms for this." Because even if the location in Walchensee is one of the least frequented Sparkasse branches in the district, "some people are still dependent on it".
The residents would have to travel around 15 kilometers to the next branch - “then people would be on the road for 30 minutes,” calculates Holz.
And: "With the withdrawal of the banks from rural areas, something will certainly be lost."
Elderly citizens in particular are affected by the closure
The main victims are those customers who want to handle their financial transactions in person - and not on the computer or on the phone. "There will be some citizens who will be hit hard," Ickings City Hall chief Verena Reithmann suspects. The office in your community is “with a relatively high frequency”, but customer traffic is decreasing more and more. The Isar valley community has tried a lot in recent years to create more stationary offers. The local infrastructure is good. "We are not lacking at all ends, but we have to make up for this retreat now," says Reithmann. The community is currently in talks with the Sparkasse: "I would like to provide a room in the town hall in which Sparkasse employees can make appointments with residents." This offer cannot replace the loss,"But it is at least a concession".
Gaißach is planning a resolution to maintain a branch
Gaißach is also hoping for an uncomplicated solution.
There the topic is on the agenda of the municipal council this Tuesday.
"There has been some feedback from the population," says Mayor Stefan Fadinger.
The tenor was always the same: "Many people are dependent on the services of the Sparkasse." The local council therefore wants to pass a resolution that at least the minimum services - ATM and bank statement printer - are provided.
"We will vehemently demand this and hope that we will be heard with it." In Fadinger's view, one option would be cooperation with the neighboring Raiffeisenbank: "Some people would be helped if they could withdraw from their savings bank account at this bank free of charge."
The VdK local association criticized the planned savings bank closure a few days ago. Fadinger can understand this. “Even if some older people already use online offers, the absolute majority do not. It is a bit of independence that the local people lose. ”Many Gaißachers are dependent on a branch close to their home and are extremely annoyed. Fadinger: "With the resolution we also want to show the Sparkasse what is happening in the population."
