In Rhode Island, a branch will close in the Rumford neighborhood of East Providence. Four branches will close in Massachusetts: in Belmont, Hyde Park, Bellingham and Burlington. In New Hampshire, a branch will cease operations in Nashua. A total of 15 offices will be closed starting in January 2025, including a half-dozen in Pennsylvania, two in Michigan and one in Ohio, the company said.

“We continually review customer models to evolve and adjust branch strategy across our network,” the company said in a statement shared with the Globe on Monday.

Citizens currently has 52 branches in Rhode Island, 190 in Massachusetts And 45 in New Hampshireaccording to the bank.

The company said it was not completely abandoning its branch strategy, but was looking to pivot to its digital banking business.

“We also remain committed to our branch network, with plans to add standalone branches over the coming years, in addition to continuing our investments in digital and mobile capabilities,” the bank said.

The lender said the Massachusetts locations Hyde Park and Bellingham will be replaced with a virtual assistant experience for citizens which, combined with an ATM, will allow customers to connect to a live virtual assistant for large cash withdrawals or payments, as well as other account activities.

Citizens Bank is recruiting at its Johnston campus in Rhode Island, in part of an approach to developing its wealth management and private banking activities. The Rhode Island lender’s president, Keith Kelly, told the Globe last month that the company plans to hire 50 new people before the end of 2024, in addition to the 60 it has employed since the start of the year .

The company is looking to strengthen its growing wealth management and private banking groups in major cities across the country., Kelly said in an interview in September. “We must strengthen the support functions of private banking and private wealth management groups. So that’s really what motivates hiring.

In June, the Rhode Island General Assembly changed state tax policy to help citizens, and potentially keep the company’s headquarters in the Ocean State, a year after Massachusetts lawmakers adopted a similar change.

Omar Mohammed can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter (X) @shurufu.