As we predicted, Lloyds Banking Group is planning to get rid of the Halifax brand with effect from 1st July 2026.
Getting rid of the Halifax brand won’t come as a big surprise to staff working in branches. Lloyds and Bank of Scotland recently had new advertising and branding whereas Halifax had nothing. And new products have been launched in Lloyds but not in Halifax. According to reports, not denied by Lloyds, customers won’t be able to open new Halifax accounts via the app or website from 1st July 2026. Thereafter, Halifax will stop taking on new customers and those that remain will be migrated to Lloyds.
Members will recall that in January 2025 we reported Lloyds was rolling out co-serving which would enable customers to use any Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland branches regardless of the brand they bank with.
It was inevitable once co-serving had been rolled out that the Halifax Brand would disappear. Let’s be clear: this is not about brands it’s about closing more branches. We said last year that:
“….the co-serving of customers is not about engagement or choice, it’s about making it easier for Lloyds to close more branches and save more money.”.
That’s what Mr. Nunn, Group Chief Executive, wants. When he announces his new strategy at the end of July 2026, he’ll wax lyrical about all things AI and about how it’s going to change the customer experience. The future of branches and the staff that work in them will just be an afterthought.
However, the political winds could be changing for Lloyds. The Mayor of Manchester talked about the destructive forces of neoliberalism yesterday at his speech in Leeds. He might like to ponder a bank that was saved by the taxpayer, which makes 96% of its profits in the UK and chooses to create 5,000+ specialist IT jobs in India at an enormous loss to the UK economy. Is that not the perfect example of an orgainsation that’s got its priorities wrong?
We will be returning to these issues again in our next Newsletter. In the meantime, members with any questions can contact the Union’s Bedford Office on 01234 262868 (Choose Option 1).
MEMBERS SHOULD PASS THIS NEWSLETTER ON TO THEIR COLLEAGUES IN HALIFAX & LLOYDS SO THEY TOO CAN BENEFIT FROM THE ONLY INDEPENDENT TRADE UNION IN LLOYDS BANKING GROUP.