A Monroe County bank plans to shut its doors by early spring.

Senior Communications Manager Karen Crane said that on Dec. 17, customers of KeyBank’s Kresgeville Branch at 543 Interchange Road were notified that the branch will close on April 1, and all customer accounts will be automatically transferred to KeyBank’s Lehighton Branch at 904 Blakeslee Blvd. Drive E.

Crane said no actions need to be taken by the client, unless they have a safe-deposit box located at Kresgeville. If that is the case, they will need to remove the contents before April 1. KeyBank will provide one free year’s safe deposit rental at another KeyBank branch for those impacted.

“How clients interact with our branches continues to change at a rapid pace, and we have seen a steady increase in client preference for digital banking,” Crane said. For example, transactions via online and mobile banking were already two times the number of transactions completed at a branch office prior to the pandemic, and those trends have only increased in the last year.

“While this consolidation is, in part, a reflection of changing client preferences, it is also strategic so that we can make additional investments in this market, such as redesigning many of our remaining branches to provide a more engaging banking experience and increasing to the number employees in our branches, allowing our teammates to spend more time with customers. Together with an expanded ATM network through our partnership with AllPoint and strengthened digital capabilities, we are focused on offering more convenience to our clients and providing them with exceptional service.”

Crane added, “As the consolidation process moves forward, our focus is on making the change as smooth as possible for our clients and teammates. We do not expect this to result in job losses.”

She said clients will continue to receive the same high level of service they expect from KeyBank at any of their branch locations and also have access to Key’s other delivery channels (i.e., the ATM network, Telephone Banking at 1-800-KEY2YOU, online banking at key.com and mobile banking through their mobile devices).

“Our branches are and always will be a source of strength for KeyBank and a critical way we differentiate ourselves throughout Eastern Pennsylvania,” Crane said. “We want to emphasize our continued commitment to helping our communities thrive, and we are proud of our entire team’s efforts in supporting our clients and communities throughout this market.”

This is not the first branch closure since the pandemic began.

BB&T Bank closed its branch office at 330 Delaware Ave., Palmerton, and was consolidated into the BB&T Walnutport branch at 500 Main St. A branch office is also located at 2503 Chestnut St., off Route 209 in Brodheadsville.

Elsewhere, PNC Bank at 1279 Blakeslee Blvd. Drive E., Lehighton, closed on June 11 after it sent a letter to its customers notifying them.