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Silver surfers join UK mobile banking boom

LONDON (Reuters) - Some British banks are seeing stronger growth in mobile and internet banking from customers in their 70s and 80s than younger generations, a study showed on Monday.

Nearly 2.3 million people aged over 70 are now using internet banking, or 30 percent of that age group, according to a study released by the British Bankers' Association. It said more than 450,000 customers over 60 are using banking apps on smart phones, iPads and other tablets.

Mobile banking has boomed in Britain and other countries in the past two years, prompting banks to ramp up services and change their distribution strategy more quickly than they had expected.

The shift is expected to prompt hundreds of bank branch closures and the research showing older customers are also changing their habits could accelerate that process.

The BBA study, based on data from the major banks, showed 20 percent of the population aged over 80 had registered for internet banking, and 36 percent of 70-79 year olds had. That is lower than other age groups, but the study said those who used mobile and internet banking typically use it as frequently or only slightly less often than younger generations.

HSBC's internet banking customers in their 70s log in more frequently than any other age group, while Barclays saw a 41 percent rise in customers aged over 80 who had downloaded its app in 2014 compared to a year before. The study said HSBC's oldest customer to download its banking app was 108 years old.

(Reporting by Steve Slater; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)