There will be a different look for the high street by the end of 2010, as banking favourites Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley rebrand as Santander.

Spanish-owned banking giant Santander is to rebrand its UK high street banking businesses – Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley (B&B), in line with its worldwide operations.

Santander, the third most profitable banking group in the world, bought Abbey in 2004, and both Alliance & Leicester and B&B in 2008. The latter two were purchased when they began suffering the effects of the credit crunch, with share prices tumbling. The Government stepped in to help B&B, with Santander later purchasing the bank’s branches and deposits.

This move is in line with the Groups’ policy to operate under one single brand, although Santander’s specialist brands, including the internet bank Cahoot and Abbey for Intermediaries will retain their identities.

The group confirmed that there would be no branch closures, and that the changes would be hugely advantageous to all of its 25 million UK customers who, at the end of the rebrand, will have access to more than 1,000 branches, rising to 1,300 at the end of 2010.

The first of the name changes will begin in June, with Abbey credit cards being rebranded, and it will be closely followed by the branch rebrand beginning in 2010, with Abbey and B&B the first to be overhauled.

António Horta-Osório, Chief Executive of Santander’s UK businesses said: “We know from speaking to our customers that they value and appreciate the strength and financial security that being part of a world-class global bank offers, particularly in the new global banking environment.”

Mr Horta-Osório said that Santander’s sponsorship of Formula 1’s Lewis Hamilton and McLaren Mercedes had “considerably raised awareness in the UK”; this coupled with the reinforced message of We are Santander has increased customers’ confidence in the brand.