Brookline Bank is planning to open two branches – one in Braintree and another in an unspecified location north of Boston – as the bank looks to expand in new markets.

“Right now, we have 29 branches, and we’re looking to expand. One of them is in north Boston, and the other is south of Boston, in Braintree,” Darryl Fess, president and CEO of Brookline Bank, said. “We’re looking to open [branches] in new markets that we’re not in.”

The Braintree branch would be located along Union Street, to be constructed on the site where the closed Motel 6 is currently situated.

Fess said his bank aims to open the two branches this year, but due to construction and leases taking longer to finalize than expected, one branch’s opening date might spill into 2025.

Fess said having a physical branch in an area makes sense for the bank despite the increasing number of people who are using digital and online banking to manage their cash and finances.

“We do see more people using digital banking and online banking but I still think that there’s a need for bank branches. While we don’t need a branch in every town or city like in the past, people still come in and talk with you about [their finances] and you work through that. If there’s a problem they still like to know that there’s a person they can go see.”

He said the bank is continuously monitoring its branch network, even trimming its footprint in a location if need be, depending on the success of each branch based on customer activity and preferences.

“Sometimes, you need to prune branches that have not been successful and maybe decide that I only need one branch at this time to service the town. It may be even just the next town over for others because people are willing to go a little further. I think this is because we don’t go to the branches that much,” Fess said.