The SunTrust bank branch at 8700 Georgia Ave. in downtown Silver Spring has permanently closed, as the bank consolidates operations as Truist after the company was purchased by BB&T Bank in 2019.
Signage at the location directs customers to the Truist location, formerly BB&T Bank, at 1100 Wayne Ave. in the Station Square complex. The branch’s operating hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday.
SunTrust announced its sale to BB&T in a $28 billion all-stock deal in February 2019, the largest bank deal since the 2007-08 financial crisis, according to Wikipedia. The deal was closed in December of that year, forming Truist Financial Corporation.
Truist has been completing its “core conversion” to its new name and brand this month. All BB&T and SunTrust customers are being converted to Truist products and digital platforms, according to the Durham Herald-Sun.
The conversion hasn’t been without incident. WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina, reported last week that thousands of new Truist bank customers lost access to their debit cards and bank accounts. “As part of our transition to Truist, some clients—after activating their new Truist debit card—are experiencing a delay of up to a few hours before they are able to use it,” the company said in a statement. “Our teams are working diligently to restore these services, and we encourage our clients to visit Truist.com where we’re posting updates. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused for these clients and appreciate their patience as we transition SunTrust products to Truist.”
Some frustrated customers have now taken to social media to raise concerns. A complaint group on Facebook now has more than 200 members, according to Fox 13 in Tampa, Fla.
Truist is now headquartered in Charlotte, NC, while BB&T and SunTrust were headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC, and Atlanta, Ga., respectively.
Photos by David Lay
