After 173 years as a fixture on British high streets, the Halifax brand is being scrapped and all customer accounts will be rebranded to Lloyds over time.
Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY), which has owned Halifax since 2009, confirmed the consolidation following reports in May that it was considering phasing out Halifax as a standalone brand.
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.
Lloyds will now become the group’s lead brand in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while Bank of Scotland, also part of the group, will remain unchanged.
Halifax was founded in West Yorkshire in 1853, granted its first mortgage, and grew to become one of the UK’s largest building societies over subsequent decades.
The institution shed its building society status in 1997 after listing on the London Stock Exchange, before merging with Bank of Scotland and later being acquired by Lloyds Banking Group.
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.”
Singh added: “But as Lloyds customers, they’ll get the best innovation and experiences we offer.”
Customers will be contacted over the coming days and weeks through the Halifax app, online banking, email and by letter, and will be invited to migrate to the Lloyds app and digital banking.
Halifax will stop opening new accounts as part of the phase-out, with branches either being rebranded to Lloyds or consolidated into nearby Lloyds locations throughout 2027.
No job cuts are being announced as part of the shake-up, offering some reassurance to the roughly 3,000 staff based at the Trinity Road office in Halifax.
Lloyds said it remained committed to the town of Halifax and the wider Yorkshire and Humber region, having recently invested £116 million in that Trinity Road office.
The office is set to feature a dedicated celebration of the Halifax brand through the years, preserving its historical legacy in some form.
Hundreds of high street branches have been shut across the group in recent years, and more closures will proceed under existing plans already announced.
Lloyds recently announced 79 new branch closures on top of 95 already planned, which will leave the group with 531 branches in total across the UK.
