Halifax to disappear from UK high street as Lloyds axes bank brand after 173 years | Lloyds Banking Group

Lloyds Banking Group has announced that it will discontinue the Halifax brand; This means the 173-year-old building society’s name will be wiped from Britain’s high streets.

The group will stop opening new accounts under the Halifax brand in the coming days and will begin the process of switching existing accounts to the Lloyds brand.

The bank will begin removing Halifax signs from 190 of the group’s 531 branches in early 2027. No branches will be closed due to the transition.

The decision, first reported in May, has proven controversial among loyal customers and Halifax residents and follows a review of Lloyds’ brand strategy.

The group has operated under three brands – Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland – since January 2009, when the financial crisis and a series of bad business decisions brought the combined Halifax-Bank of Scotland group to its knees.

The revamp means Lloyds will become the group’s sole brand in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from next year, although Bank of Scotland will be retained for customers in Scotland.

The bank assured customers that codes and account numbers will not be affected by the brand transition plan.

But axing Halifax would mean getting rid of one of the most recognizable and historic lenders on Britain’s high street. The former building society’s roots date back to the mid-1800s, when housing shortages and overcrowding led to the formation of the Halifax Permanent Useful Building Society, which allowed members to earn interest on deposits and borrow money to buy or build their own homes.

Lloyds consumer affairs boss Jas Singh said: “As Halifax transforms into Lloyds, our Halifax customers will retain everything they know and love today – the same great app design, the same friendly faces in our branches, even the same sort code and account number. But they will get the best innovation and experiences we offer as Lloyds customers.”

“Our Lloyds customers are already benefiting from significant investment in offers such as Club Lloyds, Lloyds Premier, Lloyds Ultra and Lloyds Rewards – and we’re really excited that Halifax customers can now place greater trust in Lloyds.”