Halifax ends 173-year high street run as Lloyds ditches branding July 1, 2026 Lloyds Banking Group is set to ditch its Halifax brand in a move that will end the retail bank’s 173-year run on the high street. The FTSE 100 titan – whose subsidiaries also include Bank of Scotland and Scottish Widows – said on Wednesday it would rebrand Halifax under the central moniker of Lloyds. Lloyds [...]
UK banks’ digital ID bid is a game of optics – and the odds are not in their favour July 1, 2026 A digital ID row has dominated headlines in the last year, and banks are set to join the row. In this week’s column, Samuel Norman takes a look at what they might be in for. Britain’s banks have voluntarily thrown themselves into one of the most toxic culture wars of the decade. Few subjects evoke [...]
Soaring petrol prices and Devil Wears Prada 2 help consumer spending return to growth June 9, 2026 Soaring fuel prices and box office hits helped consumer spending return to growth in May, according to fresh data from Barclays. Consumer card spending was up 0.8 per cent year-on-year last month, following a 0.1 per cent dip in April. The rise came as essential spending jumped 0.7 per cent, led by a near 12 [...]
‘Why single out banks?’: Santander chief hits out at UK tax regime June 8, 2026 The boss of Santander has branded the UK’s tax regime on banks as making “no economic sense” as speculation mounts that the industry could be turned to for a quick cash grab if the Labour government lurches to the left. Ana Botín, the chief executive of the Spanish banking giant, has said the UK tax [...]
Natwest to pump £50m into branches after shuttering over a thousand June 5, 2026 Natwest is planning to beef up its branch network after being one of the leading banks to take the axe to its physical presence over the last decade. The blue-chip banking giant will pump £50m into its network over the next 18 months and has pledged not to close any branches until at least 2029. [...]
Top banks urge Rachel Reeves to expand small business lending scheme May 29, 2026 Top UK banks are lobbying Rachel Reeves to beef up the government’s small business lending scheme in a bid to unlock more capital to be lent to firms. A letter penned by UK Finance – the banking industry body that represents the likes of Barclays, Lloyds and Natwest – has called for the Chancellor to [...]
A bank tax hangs in the balance at the local election ballot May 6, 2026 As speculation of a leadership challenge – or sweeping reshuffle – surrounds the forthcoming local elections, in this week’s column Samuel Norman looks at what a change in Chancellor would mean for the banking sector. It is no secret that Thursday’s local elections carry a weight far heavier than the fate of a few neighbourhood [...]
Natwest shares slip as bank upgrades income on higher interest rates May 1, 2026 Natwest breezed past profit expectations in the first quarter of the 2026 and is predicting a greater bump to its bottom line on the back of higher-than-expected interest rates. The FTSE 100 giant booked a £2bn pre-tax profit in the first three months of the year, up from £1.8bn in the same period last year [...]
Lloyds shares upgraded to ‘Buy’ after interest rates tailwind April 30, 2026 Analysts at UBS slapped a ‘Buy’ rating on shares in Lloyds Banking Group as the financial services giant looks to receive a bump to its bottom line from the elevated interest rate path. Jason Napier, analyst at UBS, said: “Given the tailwinds from rate hedges… we see strong future momentum in profits as a relatively [...]
Monzo lost one current account switcher for every two gained in 2025 April 30, 2026 UK fintech darling Monzo lost one current account switcher for every two it gained last year. The neobank registered just over 20,000 new switchers in the final quarter, but over half of this was offset by the 11,000 thousand outflows. The picture for the final few months of the year mirrors the picture for the [...]