 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Financial Services |
| Founded | 1944 |
| Defunct | 2010 |
| Fate | Renamed under parent brand |
| Successor | Santander UK Plc |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
Key people | Lord Burns Chairman António Horta Osório Chief Executive |
| Products | Banking and Insurance |
Number of employees | 20,000 |
| Parent | Santander Group |
| Subsidiaries | Abbey National Treasury Services Abbey International Cahoot Cater Allen |
| Website | www |
The Abbey National Building Society was formed in 1944 by the merger of the Abbey Road and the National building societies.
It was the first building society in the United Kingdom to demutualise, doing so in July 1989. The bank expanded through a number of acquisitions in the 1990s, including James Hay, Scottish Mutual, Scottish Provident and the rail leasing company Porterbrook. Abbey National launched an online bank, Cahoot, in June 2000.
In September 2003, the bank rebranded as Abbey, and in November 2004, it became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Spanish Santander Group, with a rebrand following in February 2005. In January 2010, the savings business of Bradford & Bingley was combined with the bank, and Abbey National plc was renamed Santander UK plc.[1] Prior to the takeover, Abbey National plc was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
- ^ "Santander scraps UK bank brands". BBC News. 27 May 2009. Archived from the original on 29 May 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2009.