Huntington in Ohio to Cut Nearly 200 Jobs

Huntington Bancshares in Columbus, Ohio, plans to lay off nearly 200 employees, as part of an internal reorganization.

The layoffs will take place across six states. No details were provided about the departments or specific locations affected by cuts.

"We have restructured a few internal functions, and that's just to improve the long-term efficiency of the bank," said Maureen Brown, a bank spokeswoman, in a phone interview on Friday.

Brown declined to comment on whether the restructuring would affect branch employees. "There will be a transition," she said, "but it will be seamless for customers."

News of the staff layoffs comes two weeks after the bank reported a 9% increase in second-quarter profits from last year.

The $57 billion-asset bank has aggressively expanded its branch network in recent years, both through de novo expansion and acquisitions. It has opened dozens of branches in grocery stores in Michigan and in two separate deals this past spring, it agreed to purchase a total of 24 branches there from Bank of America.

It also closed acquisition of the $774 million-asset Advantage Bank in Cambridge, Ohio, in March.

The job cuts were reported by local news outlets, including the Cleveland Plain Dealer.