IBC Bank to close many Houston-area in-store branches

International Bancshares Corporation has announced it will close branches inside 20 HEB and Randalls stores between Houston, Bryan and College Station as of Dec. 28.

The closings include in-store branches in The Woodlands, Humble, Katy, Kingwood, Cy-Fair, Pasadena, League City, Richmond, Missouri City and Spring.

In a press release, IBC Bank officials said they made the decision to make up for revenues they expect to lose as a result of the so-called Durbin Amendment, a recently enacted regulation that caps what banks can charge retailers for debit-card transactions. IBC is portraying the closings as an alternative to charging its customers the additional debit-card and checking-account fees that other banks are imposing in response to Durbin.

"Basically, our customers said that [they] preferred [us] to close branches rather than us getting rid of free checking services," IBC spokesperson Gabriela Carriedo said. "We're closing branches to save some of our costs."

The Houston-area closings are included among 55 total IBC branch closings. The bank says this will eliminate 500 jobs.

According to a branch-closures list posted on IBC's website, the closings will leave IBC customers in Bryan and College Station more than 70 miles from their nearest branches in Houston.

The list tells customers what the closest still-open branches will be to the ones slated to close.

Customers of the in-store branch at the HEB in Humble will now have to drive an extra 26 miles to IBC's downtown Houston branch, 1001 McKinney St., according to the list.

It's worse for Woodlands customers. According to the closure list, those using the HEB in-store branch at 9595 Six Pines Drive will now have to go an extra 35 miles to a branch at 1777 Sage Road in Houston, or 32 miles to the Montrose branch at 3939 Montrose Blvd.

"We'll still have our traditional branches," Carriedo said.