Bank of America hopes to reopen shuttered branches in region soon

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

The Bank of America building at State and Clinton streets in Schenectady -- seen here on Friday -- is among six Capital Region Bank of America branches temporarily closed.

SCHENECTADY — Six of the 16 Bank of America branches in the Capital Region are temporarily closed.

The financial giant says on its website its top priority is the safety and health of its staff and customers, and says it is following local, state and federal directives.

A spokeswoman said, however, that this does not necessarily mean the closures are all COVID-related. She said the goal is to reopen them as soon as possible.

“Throughout the health crisis, we have balanced the need to stay open in as many physical locations as possible while also prioritizing the health and wellbeing of our employees and clients,” she said via email. “At times we temporarily close some sites. Clients can and do manage many of their financial needs through our ATM network, mobile banking and online at bankofamerica.com. We’ve seen a rapid rise in digital banking during this period.”

Temporarily shuttered are:

500 State St., Schenectady
200 Saratoga Road, Glenville
1791 Western Ave., Guilderland
900 Central Ave., Albany
69 State St., Albany
189 Ballston Ave., Saratoga Springs

Farther afield, a few other BofA branches are closed in neighboring regions and states, but not in such high percentage as in the Capital Region.

And yet, the situation is widespread. Media reports in 2021 have focused on closures in markets as diverse as Buffalo, West Hollywood, Calif., and Greenville, S.C. A lack of employees amid a national labor shortage has been cited in some reports.

The North Carolina-based financial services company is the second-largest U.S. commercial bank. Its consumer deposit balances topped $1 trillion for the first time in the third-quarter.