Lloyds Banking Group was formed on 19 January 2009 following the acquisition of HBOS by Lloyds TSB Group. Lloyds Banking Group has brought together a number of iconic brands, Lloyds TSB, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, and Scottish Widows, as well as a number of other well-known financial services brands.
Our combined history stretches back more than 300 years and our timeline showcases an extraordinary heritage.
Each brand has an individual and long heritage with a history on the high streets and in communities across the UK.
Use these pages to discover more of our history...
Some of our firsts
In 1696, Bank of Scotland was the first European commercial bank to successfully issue a paper currency.
In 1785 we employed the first female bank clerk in Scotland within the British Linen Bank. To this day Lloyds Banking Group is firmly committed to being a great place for women to bank and work and we run a number of programmes to support the gender diversity agenda.
The world's first self-supporting savings bank was set up in 1810. The resulting savings bank movement went on to become TSB and the Group still helps millions of people save for a more prosperous future.
In 1881 Bank of Scotland became the first Scottish bank to use the newly invented telephone.
In 1959, Bank of Scotland became the first UK bank to introduce a computer for centralised accounting. Computers were to revolutionise the banking industry. The Bank's Centralised Accounting Unit initially served just four branches. It took a decade to transfer all customer accounts onto the system.
In 1982 the revolutionary HOBS (Home and Office Banking Service) was launched by Bank of Scotland. It was the UK’s first electronic home banking service before the Internet was widely available, Bank of Scotland customers could actively manage their accounts from the comfort of their own sitting room. All they needed was a TV screen and telephone link-up. The service attracted many new customers.
In December 1972, Lloyds Bank installed the world’s first online real-time cash dispenser at Brentwood in Essex. By 1988, more than 2,000 were in operation up and down the country and today our customers have access to their money through our network of more than 6,300 ATMs across the country.
In 1987 TSB launched Speedlink, the UK’s first telephone banking system. It allowed people to access their account information and conduct transactions, all from the convenience of home.
In August 1995, Lloyds acquired Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society. This was the first ever association between a bank and a building society.
In March 2007, Lloyds TSB became the first domestic Partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Group was the Games’ Official Banking and Insurance Partner.
