Hundreds of jobs are under threat at the Glasgow branch of an insurance firm owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Staff at Direct Line in Glasgow’s Atlantic Quay have been called to a meeting at around 2.30pm on Thursday. While the bank would not confirm where it will be held, STV News understands it will take place at the nearby Radisson SAS Hotel in Argyle Street.

Speculation in the media has suggested that as many as 600 jobs could go at the Glasgow offices. The bank has been ordered to sell its insurance arm, which includes Direct Line, by the European Commission by 2013.

A spokeswoman from RBS said: "We announced in May that we were looking to consolidate our UK office network as part of our plans to achieve efficiencies across our insurance business as we prepare it for sale as mandated by the EU. However we do not comment on speculation and have a commitment to our staff that we will always tell them first if we are announcing any changes that affect them."

On Thursday, RBS will reveal its plans to close some of its offices across the UK for insurance firms Churchill and Direct Line as part of existing plans to cut 2,000 jobs. The part-nationalised bank is expected to outline the closures to staff this afternoon as part of a previously announced move to shed jobs at the insurance division.

It is thought that its Atlantic Quay offices in Glasgow - which employs around 640 staff - are among those set to be axed, although the group is understood to be planning to create jobs elsewhere in the city. It is also understood the office closures will be made over a three-year timescale.

RBS said in May that 2,000 jobs would go at its insurance arm, which includes the Direct Line, Green Flag, Churchill and Privilege. In total, the businesses employ 16,000 people.

The group accelerated the plans after the European Commission said it must sell 318 branches as well as the insurance business to soothe competition concerns following its Government bail-out. RBS has already reached a deal to sell the 318 branches to Spanish banking giant Santander for a premium of £350million on the value of the assets.

RBS has already said it aims to reduce the number of jobs in the group by a mammoth 23,100 globally. Around 17,100 of these will be in the UK.