Just as Andy Burnham, the odds-on next prime minister, puts the north at the heart of his premiership, Lloyds Banking Group has chosen now to consign one of the region's most famous banking names to the dustbin of history. The Halifax brand, established in 1853 and built for working people, will disappear as Lloyds merges it into its own name.
Why Lloyds is killing the Halifax brand
The buzzword from Lloyds is “simplification”, but in reality it means saving owner Lloyds Banking Group a chunk of money. The group raked in a colossal £6.7 billion profit in 2025, yet it still needs to cut costs. The Halifax brand was barely mentioned in the group’s nearly 300-page last annual report, a stark contrast to the 2000s when singing bank teller Howard Brown catapulted Halifax to fame with iconic TV adverts.
Halifax was originally set up specifically for working people. Those with spare cash could deposit it and receive interest, while others could borrow to buy or build a house. But times have changed. After becoming part of HBOS, it needed a £20 billion taxpayer rescue in the 2008 banking crisis. Now it is part of a group worth £64 billion.
What the brand axing means for customers
For customers, the change essentially offers nothing. They could vote with their feet and switch banks, but Lloyds knows how “sticky” most people are when it comes to their current account provider. Lloyds stresses it will be a hassle-free transfer, with account numbers and sort codes staying the same. Your money is “safe and remains exactly where it is,” the bank said, adding: “We will never ask customers to move money, transfer funds or share security details as part of this change. If anyone contacts a customer asking them to do this, it is a scam.”
That warning is crucial because, as sure as night follows day, a hideous breed of low-life shysters will use the change to try to con customers out of their life savings. Branches are vital for reassurance – checking with a bank employee face-to-face is worth its weight in gold. But most banks have not seen it that way.
Branch closures accelerate despite profits
Lloyds recently announced another 79 branch closures, 75 of which will close in 2026 and four in 2027. The latest wave includes 48 Halifax branches. Around 190 former Halifax branches will remain, but for how long? The bank’s cost-cutting drive raises fears that more closures are on the horizon.
Halifax may not be the last famous banking name to disappear. Reports suggest Spain’s Santander could dump the TSB name following its takeover, a brand that dates back 216 years to when the Trustee Savings Bank was set up by a Scottish clergyman. Other once-staple names of our high streets that have vanished include Midland Bank (part of HSBC) and Abbey National (Santander).
The bigger picture: brand heritage vs corporate profit
Times change, and hitherto famous brands are consigned to the past. But when the main reason for doing so is to make more money for owners – with customers treated as an afterthought – it becomes that bit harder to accept. As Andy Burnham prepares to lead the north, the loss of a northern banking icon like Halifax feels particularly symbolic.
