ONE of the most familiar banking names on the UK high street could be about to disappear in a re-branding exercise to be unveiled today.
Former building society Abbey National is poised to reveal details of a relaunch, as part of a drive to revive its flagging fortunes.
Chief executive Luqman Arnold is widely expected to opt for a new name and logo when he unveils the proposals.
Such a move would spell the end of a familiar high street brand dating back to 1944, when the Abbey Road Building Society and the National Building Society merged. The company became a bank in 1989.
The relaunch comes less than a year into an overhaul of the group, which has seen a string of assets earmarked for sale or closed to new business in a drive to refocus Abbey on its core UK personal finance operations.
The three-year overhaul was announced in February as the company reported its first loss since becoming a plc.
Results for the first six months of 2003, posted in July, showed pre-tax losses of £144m in the half year
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article