Coutts, the private bank owned by RBS, has relocated to larger premises in Guildford, south-east England, in order accommodate an expanding regional team.

The Guildford office opened in August 1997 and since then its team has grown from four to 16 members.  The team now includes six private bankers, two specialists and seven support staff, along with regional chairman, Mark Richardson.

The expansion and relocation of Coutts’ Guildford team is a reflection of growing demand for wealth management within Surrey, the bank said, and it is keen to raise the profile of the regional office further in the future.

"Coutts aims to be accessible and geographically close to our clients, in order to understand the local community and industry issues that may affect our clients. Where competitors are only now beginning to move back into regional private banking, many having exited in 2002/2003, Coutts is reaping the rewards of its long term commitment, which has now become the fastest growing area of the business," said Shirley Coe, private banker for Coutts in Guildford.

The relocation of Coutts’ Guildford office follows news last month of three additions to the bank’s team in Chelmsford, eastern England, along with the launch of an office in Exeter in December last year.

The Exeter launch formed part of the third wave of Coutts’ regional expansion programme in the UK, which has increased the number of private bankers working from its offices outside of London by almost 80 per cent over the last four years - in some cases doubling local teams.

Coutts now operates in 23 regional offices across the UK.