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Read the press release here.

Amalgamated Bank on 37th Avenue Will Close in April, Officials Say

By Katie Honan | December 22, 2014 5:58pm
 This Amalgamated Bank branch is one of six in New York City that will close in 2015, officials said.
This Amalgamated Bank branch is one of six in New York City that will close in 2015, officials said.
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DNAinfo/Katie Honan

JACKSON HEIGHTS — The Amalgamated Bank at the corner of 78th Street and 37th Avenue will shutter in the spring, one of six that will close across the city, officials said.

Kelia Simtson, a banker, said the location is closing in April as the national bank changes its strategy.

Amalgamated Bank now has a larger focus on the "digital side" and the 37th Avenue branch is being closed as a result, she said. 

"[Amalgamated] rebranded our branches to see where growth is, and that's probably one of the reasons they're closing," she said.

The Jackson Heights branch will close along with branches in Midwood and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Maspeth and Ridgewood in Queens and a location in The Bronx, officials said.

A spokesman with Amalgamated Bank said the company is consolidating banks to "refocus on its core constituents."

"Our remaining branch network is concentrated in areas with a high density of union members, progressives and low-to-moderate income residents, where our message of affordable and accessible banking resonates and where we can continue our advocacy for working people," the bank said in a statement.

The bank said the remaining branches will allow it to focus "in areas where the need for affordable banking is greatest."

Customers will also keep access to the banks' 40,000 surcharge-free ATMs and online banking, and their account numbers will stay the same. 

Members at the Jackson Heights branch have been notified and can still visit the borough's two remaining Amalgamated branches, in Flushing and Long Island City, an official said.

The bank was founded in 1923 by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America "with the mission of providing immigrant garment workers a place to bank," according to its website.

It "played an important role in opening up the banking system to the working class."

It's not clear what will go in the large corner space.

The owner of the building, Jackson 37 Company LLC, could not be reached for comment.