Vancouver branch among Umpqua Bank closures

Umpqua Bank is closing its McLoughlin Heights branch at 6501 E. Mill Plain Blvd., one of 26 branch closures in four states for the Portland-based bank.

Oregon-based Umpqua said the Heights branch will be consolidated with the bank’s International branch at 3301 Fourth Plain Blvd. It set no specific timeline for the closure but said that consolidation of all 26 branches will begin in June and continue through the summer.

Umpqua operates more than 350 branches, which it calls stores, in Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada and Washington. Its closure list included two other Washington branches, in Puyallup and Oakville, as well as 14 branches in Oregon, eight in California, and one in Idaho. The bank said the consolidations will result in some duplicate positions and that it would help workers whose jobs disappear find new positions within the company or elsewhere.

Umpqua said it has notified affected customers of the upcoming closures and will automatically transfer customer accounts to the most convenient locations.

Currently Umpqua has 10 full-service locations in Clark County.

Umpqua, known for creating innovative and customer-friendly branches, said it is responding to changes in the way its customers do their banking.

“Today, customers can bank online and on their mobile devices — and convenience is defined not by bank locations but by an integrated mix of physical and digital options that make it possible for customers to bank when and where they choose,” said Greg Seibly, Umpqua Bank’s president of consumer banking, in a news release. “These store consolidations reflect those changes in customer behavior and allow Umpqua to continue operating as efficiently as possible while investing in a unified physical and digital customer experience.”

Umpqua reported net earnings of $222.7 million in 2015, up from $147.2 million for the 2014 calendar year.