> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.kaeltripton.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Halifax Brand Scrapped After 173 Years: What the Lloyds Rebrand Means for Your Account - URL: https://www.kaeltripton.com/latest/halifax-brand-scrapped-lloyds-rebrand/ - Published: 2026-07-01T20:28:48.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-24T20:34:05.000Z - Description: Lloyds Banking Group has confirmed the Halifax brand is being scrapped. All 190 branches will rebrand to Lloyds by 2027. Here is what changes and what Halifax customers need to do. - Author: Chandraketu Tripathi - Tags: News, hash-section-news, editors-picks, uk-finance, Money NEWS · BANKING · 1 JULY 2026 Published: 1 July 2026 ### What you need to know The 173-year-old Halifax brand is being scrapped. Lloyds Banking Group confirmed today that all Halifax customer accounts will be rebranded to Lloyds. No accounts will be closed, no branches will shut and no jobs are being cut. Your sort code, account number and FSCS protection remain unchanged. Halifax has stopped accepting new customers with immediate effect. - **Your account number and sort code:** unchanged. - **Branches:** 190 Halifax branches will rebrand to Lloyds by 2027\. None will close. - **FSCS protection:** continues unchanged throughout the transition. - **Halifax app:** will be retired. Users invited to Lloyds app in coming weeks. - **Mortgages:** Halifax Intermediaries transitions to Lloyds Intermediaries in 2027. - **New customers:** Halifax stopped accepting new accounts today. Lloyds Banking Group announced this morning that it is retiring the Halifax brand after 173 years, consolidating its English, Welsh and Northern Irish retail banking under the Lloyds name alone. Halifax was founded in West Yorkshire in 1853, became the UK's largest building society, demutualised in 1997, merged with Bank of Scotland to form HBOS, and was acquired by Lloyds in a snap emergency deal at the height of the 2008 financial crisis. That acquisition effectively saved HBOS from collapse but absorbed Halifax permanently into the Lloyds Banking Group structure. The decision to retire the Halifax brand was flagged in May 2026 when reports suggested Lloyds was considering phasing it out. Today's confirmation ends that speculation. The rationale given by Lloyds is simplification: with Halifax and Lloyds increasingly indistinguishable in digital banking terms, maintaining two separate retail brands carried cost without commercial benefit. ## What is changing and when | Change | When | Impact on customers | | ----------------------------------------------- | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------ | | No new Halifax accounts | Today, 1 July 2026 | New customers must use Lloyds instead | | Halifax app retired, move to Lloyds app | Coming weeks | You will be invited to switch. Same account, new app. | | Accounts rebranded to Lloyds | Over coming months | Account number, sort code and debit card unchanged | | 190 branches rebranded to Lloyds | From early 2027 | No closures. Same staff, same locations. | | Halifax Intermediaries to Lloyds Intermediaries | 2027 | Mortgage brokers: Halifax deals continue until rebrand | ## What stays exactly the same Sort code Your existing sort code is unchanged throughout the migration Account number Your account number stays the same. No need to update direct debits or standing orders. FSCS protection Deposits remain protected up to £120,000 per person. No change to protection. Branches All 190 branches remain open. Staff retained. Signage changes to Lloyds from 2027. Jobs No job cuts announced. 3,000 staff at Trinity Road Halifax HQ remain. £116m Investment in Halifax town's Trinity Road HQ confirmed by Lloyds ## What Halifax customers need to do **Nothing right now.**Lloyds will contact all Halifax customers by app, online banking, email and letter with instructions at each stage of the transition. Do not take any action unless contacted directly. Lloyds has confirmed customers will not lose access to their money at any point during the changeover. - **Direct debits and standing orders** will transfer automatically. You do not need to notify your employer, HMRC or any company you pay by direct debit. - **Halifax app users** will be invited to download the Lloyds app and migrate their account. You do not need to do this until invited. - **Halifax mortgage customers** will see their mortgage transfer to Lloyds. Halifax mortgage deals through intermediaries continue until 2027. - **Customers who want Bank of Scotland** instead of Lloyds can request to move their accounts to Bank of Scotland, which remains a separate Lloyds Banking Group brand. ## Super Prize Draw: four chances to win up to £1 million As part of the rebrand, Halifax is automatically entering all eligible current or savings account holders into a Super Prize Draw. There are four draws taking place between August and November 2026, with prizes ranging from £1,000 to £1,000,000\. You may receive extra entries based on your cumulative account balances, with one additional entry for every £10,000 you hold. There is nothing you need to do to enter, and taking part does not affect how your account works. You can opt out at any time. ## Your questions answered: Halifax brand change FAQ Will my sort code, account number or direct debits change? No. Your sort code, account number, card details, PIN, standing orders and direct debits all stay exactly the same. You do not need to tell your employer, HMRC or any company you pay by direct debit. Nothing changes to your account features or benefits today. Will my credit score be affected? No. Halifax has confirmed that your credit score will not be affected as a result of this change. Can I still open new accounts with Halifax? Yes, if you are an existing Halifax customer. Existing customers can still open new Halifax accounts. New-to-bank customers, however, can no longer open accounts with Halifax from today. They will need to apply through Lloyds instead. Will my joint account change? Yes. Your joint account will change to Lloyds, but your account details will stay the same. You and the other joint account holder might be invited to move to the Lloyds app at different times, but it will not impact how your account works at any stage. What happens to my Halifax ISA or savings account? The brand will change to Lloyds over time, but your account details, rates and terms remain unchanged. If your account is about to mature or renew, Halifax will contact you as usual to explain any changes and actions you may need to take. Different accounts may update at different times, and you will always be told in advance. What happens to my Halifax mortgage? Your Halifax mortgage continues unchanged. Halifax mortgages through intermediaries remain available until 2027, when Halifax Intermediaries will rebrand to Lloyds Intermediaries. Existing mortgage terms, rates and payments are unaffected by the rebrand. What about my Halifax credit card? I heard it is changing from Mastercard to Visa. The Halifax credit card Mastercard to Visa switch is a separate change from the brand rebrand, announced in 2024\. Around 10 million Halifax, Bank of Scotland and MBNA Mastercard credit cards are being replaced with Visa cards, with the transition expected to complete by the end of 2026\. Your PIN stays the same. Direct debit repayments continue unchanged. You will be notified when your new Visa card is being sent. What happens to the Halifax app? The Halifax app will eventually stop working. In the coming weeks, you will be invited via the Halifax app and email to move across to the Lloyds app. The move takes a few clicks. Your password and memorable information stay the same, and all your statements and account history transfer with you. You do not need to act until you receive your invitation. Once you have moved, the Halifax app will stop working. What are the FSCS implications? Do Halifax and Lloyds share the same protection limit? This is an important point. Halifax deposits are held within Bank of Scotland plc and are protected under the FSCS separately from any money held with Lloyds Bank plc. This means if you hold money at both Halifax and Lloyds, you may benefit from up to £120,000 FSCS protection at each, giving you up to £240,000 of total protected deposits across the two entities. This remains the case throughout and after the transition. Scam warning: what will Halifax and Lloyds never do? Scammers will use this rebrand as an opportunity to impersonate Halifax or Lloyds. Halifax and Lloyds will **never**: ask for your PIN or personal details by phone, text or email; ask you to move your money; ask you to log in via a link or QR code in a message. Any genuine action will always begin inside your app or online banking, not via an unsolicited link or call. If anyone contacts you asking for any of the above, it is a scam. Report it to Halifax or Lloyds directly using the number on the back of your card, and to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040\. Sources: Halifax brand change FAQ (halifax.co.uk/brand-change/change-faqs.html); Halifax credit card FAQ (halifax.co.uk/brand-change/credit-cards-faqs.html); Lloyds Banking Group press release 1 July 2026; BBC News; The Guardian. ## The end of a 173-year brand Halifax was founded in 1853 as the Halifax Permanent Benefit Building Society, named after the West Yorkshire town that grew wealthy on wool and textiles. It spent most of its existence as a mutual building society, eventually becoming the UK's largest, before demutualising and floating on the London Stock Exchange in 1997\. The float gave millions of account holders windfall shares, one of the defining financial events of 1990s Britain. Halifax merged with Bank of Scotland to form HBOS in 2001\. The group collapsed during the 2008 financial crisis under the weight of aggressive mortgage lending and was acquired by Lloyds TSB in a government-brokered emergency rescue. The acquisition created Lloyds Banking Group but left Halifax operating as a largely autonomous brand within it for nearly two decades. Today's announcement ends that chapter. *This section is for information only and does not constitute financial advice. Details of the Halifax to Lloyds rebrand may be updated by Lloyds Banking Group as the transition proceeds; verify your own account status directly with Halifax or Lloyds before acting on any communication.* ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Will my sort code and account number change? No. Lloyds Banking Group has confirmed that existing Halifax customers keep the same sort code and account number. Only the branding, app and physical signage change, not the underlying account details. ### Do I need to do anything right now? No. Lloyds says there is nothing customers need to do immediately. Halifax will contact customers directly over the coming weeks through the Halifax app, online banking, email and letter, inviting them to move across to the Lloyds app in their own time. ### Is my money still protected under the FSCS? Yes, and separately from any Lloyds accounts held at the same time. Lloyds Banking Group's own announcement states that balances in existing Halifax accounts will continue to be protected separately from balances in any new Lloyds accounts. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme protects eligible deposits up to £120,000 per person, per authorised firm. ### Will my local Halifax branch close? Not as a direct result of this specific rebrand: Lloyds Banking Group states there are no changes to previously announced branch plans and no role reductions tied to this announcement. Separately, the wider group has an ongoing branch closure programme (79 further closures on top of 95 already planned across its brands), so a branch closing nearby may be part of that existing programme rather than this rebrand. ### Can I still open a new Halifax account? Not if you are new to Halifax. Halifax has stopped opening accounts for new-to-bank customers as part of the phase-out, and new customers will be onboarded under the Lloyds brand instead. Existing Halifax customers can continue to open additional Halifax accounts and products for now. ### What happens to my Halifax mortgage or Halifax Intermediaries account? Halifax Intermediaries, the broker-facing arm used to arrange mortgages, will rebrand to Lloyds Intermediaries in 2027\. Existing mortgage terms are not affected by the brand change itself; brokers and customers will be notified ahead of the switch. ### Is Bank of Scotland also being scrapped? No. Bank of Scotland is unaffected by this announcement and continues to operate as the group's dedicated brand for customers in Scotland. Only the Halifax brand in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is being retired. ### How do I know if a message about switching my account is genuine? Lloyds Banking Group has explicitly warned that it will never ask customers to move money, transfer funds or share security details as part of this change. If a message, call or text asks for any of these, treat it as a scam and contact your bank directly using the number on your card or its official app, not any number or link provided in the message itself. ### Is this the same as what is happening to TSB? No, these are separate stories. Halifax is being folded into its existing owner, Lloyds Banking Group. TSB is a different bank. Santander agreed to acquire it in 2025 and completed the acquisition on 30 April 2026, and separate reports suggest Santander is considering retiring the TSB brand; that decision has not been confirmed.