Charter One to Cut 900 Jobs in Merger; Call Center Jobs at Risk

A week after Charter One Financial Inc.’s sale was approved by shareholders, new details are emerging about the number of employees slated to lose their jobs: At least 400 Cleveland, OH workers have been notified that their jobs will be cut, and nearly 500 jobs in other states will be eliminated.

Charter One earlier this month had said only that the job cuts would be “in the hundreds.”

The 400 jobs would represent 16 percent of Charter One’s Cleveland work force of 2,500. The companywide figure would constitute about 10 percent of Charter One’s nine-state work force.

Charter One is being purchased by Citizens Financial Group Inc., a unit of the Royal Bank of Scotland. The deal was approved by federal regulators this month and by Charter One shareholders last week. It’s expected to close this fall.

Among the departments being wiped out locally is the customer service call center, which fields calls from customers about issues such as their checking or mortgage accounts.

About 230 people work for the call center in Cleveland, spokeswoman Nancy Lesic said.

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