It’s still a big deal when banks close their branches. The fifteen branches of Citizens Bank across the country are being closed, making them the latest bank to close a physical location.

“We’ve been on a journey at Citizens to evolve how our customers bank with us, and we continually review customer patterns to evolve and adjust branch strategy across our network,” Citizens Bank said in an email to explain their decision.

This isn’t a new reason for a downsizing strategy; most banks have been looking into how to make their finances more stable by getting rid of physical locations that aren’t needed or aren’t doing well.

The bank said in a statement, “Even though these branches are closing, we’re still happy to serve our customers through our online and mobile banking platforms, as well as through our nearby branches.” We are also still committed to our branch network, and we have plans to open more independent branches over the next few years. We will also keep investing in digital and mobile capabilities.

These changes are the biggest change from a few years ago, when the only strategy was to close down stores. Though the pandemic may have sped up the closings, it’s still true that not all transactions can be done online.

There are now so many bank branches that some places have too many. This is especially true in cities, where the cost of running them makes them unprofitable. As online banking and ATM use grew quickly, many of these “extra” branches were no longer needed.

This cut down on costs, made things run more smoothly, and made sure there were still enough branches for customers to meet all of their needs in person.

But the pandemic was the tipping point for many institutions. Because they had to improve their online systems to keep the economy going, banks were able to cut back on staff without any negative effects.

As leases ended, places were vacated, and employees slowly moved to new places or started working from home or lost their jobs. The fact that the virus caused even more money to disappear also played a role in this decision.

Soon, though, some areas turned into what’s now called a “banking desert”—places where there are no branches within a reasonable driving distance. Customers had to switch banks to meet their needs, since many things still need to be done in person with a teller.

Instead of closing all of their branches, the new bank strategy includes merging them and opening new ones in places where there aren’t any within a reasonable distance. This is done to serve communities that don’t have a bank.

List of Citizens Bank locations that will be closing soon