Bank buyouts could leave empty spaces

Manhattan is likely to see bank branches closing, as the industry consolidates, including the recent acquisition of Washington Mutual by JPMorgan Chase, and the pending acquisition of Wachovia by either Citigroup or Wells Fargo. A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase has said it would not rebrand the WaMu branches until at least 2010. What happens to Wachovia’s 23 locations here depends on which company ends up buying it, as many Wachovia branches are near Citigroup branches and would become superfluous, but Wells Fargo has no banks in New York.