More than 100 ANZ branches are set to close over the next two years, the Hayne royal commission heard yesterday.And ANZ has divined that it produces the most value from a closing a branch (and minimising customer loss) rather than selling that branch and its customers to a competitor, documents produced yesterday make clear.Tony Tapsall, ANZ's general manager for the retail branch network for Northern Queensland and Northern Territory, was the bunny in the spotlight at the financial services royal commission hearing yesterday in Darwin.The pros and cons, and most of all the profits, to be gleaned from a rare sale of a slice of the bank's branch network was a topic for close review by ANZ's CEO, Shayne Elliott.Mark Costello, counsel-assisting, read out to Tapsall a recent internal analysis by the bank:"To ensure alignment between ANZs purpose and our branch optimisation objectives, we have recently explored the viability of selling a package of regional, rural and remote branches as an alternative to closures. This sought to improve continuity of banking services for customers, provide ongoing employment options for local workers, minimise broader impacts on regional and remote communities, recognising the commercial and social role of bank branches."The transaction, Costello read to the banker, "appears to be feasible, from a technical, legal, and possible from a regulatory perspective" offset by a "discussion of adverse financial outcomes for ANZ shareholders of a potential sale."The analysis, Costello said,  noted that "in regional, rural and remote areas, ANZ historically experiences remarkably low customer attrition when closing a branch …. Based on these facts, we recommend to continue with the current plan for branch closures."Tapsall, not long engaged in a senior management role in remote Australia for the bank, had to weave around Costello's questions."In your experience of running a part of ANZ's network that includes branches in rural and remote locations, would you agree that a branch presence can be important for a town?" Costello asked.Tapsall: "In my experience, it can be important for a town, [but] sorry, I don't know the context of this document." Costello stuck with the data volunteered by ANZ."Closures would accelerate from 50 in 2017 to [redacted] in each of 2018 and 2019. The reduction from 677 branches is estimated to cost - and then there's some figures quoted. "It says there's a reduction from 677 branches," Costello continued, and his witness from ANZ did not demur.Many branch closures are likely in Tapsall's lightly populated domain.Around 70 per cent of the proposed …. branch closures are lower contributors in regional and remote locations as well as some metro sites where the speed of digital adoption by customers will likely be high?" Costello queried."Yes, I can see that," Tapsall said.Costello asked: "Closure of less productive branches is consistent with ANZ's purpose in enabling concentration of resources into significantly better physical and digital interactions, enabling more customers to thrive. What do you understand that to mean?""I can't provide an answer to that," Tapsall said."And do you appreciate that closing a