Capital One to close 16 branches on Long Island, lay off 100 workers

Capital One said it is closing branches and laying off about 100 employees on Long Island.

The McLean, Virginia-based bank confirmed in an email late Wednesday it was closing 16 of its 77 regional branches in mid-September.

Some of the branches will close Sept. 21, while the rest will close the next day.

The closings are part of a larger, national rollback at Capital One.

"Like other national and regional banks, we continue to evolve and optimize our branch network in response to changing banking preferences," Amanda Landers, a spokeswoman at Capital One, said via email. "These decisions are not made lightly; we have been and will continue to be thoughtful about our branch strategy in order to provide the right physical presence in all of our markets that considers the needs of our customers, the communities we serve and Capital One. To continually align with this strategy, decisions are made to open, renovate, and in some instances, close or relocate branches."

Capital One didn't immediately release the branches that were closing, but said customers were being notified and were being encouraged to "stop by to ask any questions. We can show them the available options to bank at any time with Capital One through Online Banking and Bill Pay, and Mobile Banking," Landers wrote.

Other banks on Long Island have also either cut branches or moved them into smaller spaces. For instance, Bridgehampton-based BNB Bank said it was closing six branches near other locations, although it was also building new branches as well. 

Glen Head-based First National Bank of Long Island's new branches are about 1,000 square feet, which the bank has said is smaller than previous locations. But First National Bank continues to expand its overall branch network.

It held a ribbon cutting at its new Brooklyn location last week.