The bank branch, once a fixture of nearly every New York commercial strip, is disappearing. As customers shift to apps and ATMs, banks are shuttering physical locations across the city, converting prime corners into pharmacies and coffee shops.

The trend has been fastest in Manhattan but is reshaping the outer boroughs too. Community advocates warn that closures hit hardest in lower-income neighborhoods, where residents are more likely to rely on in-person service and cash.

Banks counter that foot traffic has collapsed and that digital tools serve most customers better. The fictional lender Boroughs Bank says it is opening smaller advisory offices even as it closes traditional branches — a compromise that leaves some New Yorkers still searching for a teller.