The Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley banking brands are to disappear from the UK high street from the beginning of next year, as part of a national rebranding by their Spanish parent group, Santander, according to The Financial Times.

All 1,000 branches of Abbey and Bradford & Bingley will be renamed Santander from Q1 2010, and a further 300 Alliance & Leicester branches will complete their name change by the end of the year.

Santander said the move will deliver “a significant advantage” for its 25 million customers, as they will have access to hundreds more branches from early next year, and a global banking network across 40 countries.