Halifax to be changed to Lloyds, bringing end to 173-year-old brand

Anna Wise, Press Association Business Reporter

The Halifax brand is being scrapped after 173 years on British high streets and all customer accounts will be rebranded to Lloyds over time.

Lloyds Banking Group, which has owned Halifax since 2009, said there is nothing that customers need to do and they will be contacted about the changes.

The banking giant confirmed the move after reports in May said it was considering phasing out Halifax as a standalone brand.

It is understood that the decision was rooted in efforts to simplify the group’s portfolio, with the distinction between Halifax and Lloyds seen as becoming less prominent in recent years.

It means Lloyds will become the group’s lead brand in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while there will be no change to Bank of Scotland, which is also part of the group.

Halifax was founded in West Yorkshire in 1853 and granted its first mortgage, before growing to become one of the UK’s largest building societies.

Its building society status disappeared in 1997 after listing its shares on the London Stock Exchange, before merging with Bank of Scotland and later being acquired by Lloyds Banking Group.

Halifax is one of the UK’s biggest mortgage lenders and has millions of customers also using its current and savings accounts.

Jas Singh, Lloyds Banking Group’s chief executive of consumer relationships, said: “As Halifax changes to Lloyds, our Halifax customers will keep everything they know and love today – the same fantastic app design, the same friendly faces in our branches – even the same sort code and account number.

“But as Lloyds customers, they’ll get the best innovation and experiences we offer.”

Customers will be contacted over the coming days and weeks, including through the Halifax app, online banking, email and by letter.

They will be invited to move across to the Lloyds app and digital banking and will see their accounts rebranded to Lloyds over time.

Halifax will stop opening new accounts as part of the phase-out.

Lloyds said it remained committed to the town of Halifax and the wider Yorkshire and Humber region, having recently invested £116 million in the Trinity Road office where some 3,000 staff are based.

The office is set to feature a celebration of the Halifax brand through the years.

No job cuts are being announced as part of the shake-up, and Halifax branches will either be rebranded to Lloyds or shifted to a Lloyds branch nearby throughout 2027.

But hundreds of high street branches have been shut over recent years and more will be closing under existing plans.

It recently announced 79 new closures on top of 95 already planned over the coming year, across the three brands.

This will leave the group with 531 branches in total across the UK.

Customers have been able to go into the branches of all three brands and get help from staff, regardless of the brand on their account, following a significant change last year.