Abbey (bank)

Abbey is the UK's sixth biggest bank, and Europe's second largest mortgage lender, after Halifax. It was the first of the UK building socities to demutualise, which it did in 1989, and took over the Bradford-based National & Provincial Building Society in 1995.

Abbey changed its trademark from Abbey National in 2003, (although it remains registered as Abbey National plc); a change prompted by Luqman Arnold (Chief Executive) after several years of loss-making.

Abbey's registered office is in London, England and its effective Head Office is in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. Its savings and banking adminsitration departments are both in Bradford, with its mortgage centre being based in Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside. Abbey recently announced that it was moving some of its Banking Customer Contact Centres, including Derby, Warrington and Bradford, to India, leaving only Gateshead and Glasgow with this function within Britain.