One Week Left To Take Advantage Of GBP100 Cash Gift To Switch To An Abbey Or A&L Current Account

    LONDON, ENGLAND, November 05, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The GBP100 offer is available to customers who switch to an Abbey Preferred Overdraft Rate (PODR) account or an Alliance & Leicester Premier Current Account.

Helen Palmer, Head of Santander's UK current account brands, commented: "Many customers are not getting the best value they can for their money, as most providers offer little or no value on their overdrafts and in-credit interest rates. Abbey and A&L are bucking that trend by offering two great Current Accounts and GBP100 to those who switch to us from another provider.

"Easy money is difficult to come by at the moment, but switching to a more competitive current account, and receiving GBP100 from Abbey or A&L for doing so, is a win-win opportunity for a lot of people who are suffering with a poor value account...but you have to get in quick before the offer ends in one week's time."

The GBP100 cash bonus is available on Abbey's PODR bank account and Alliance & Leicester's Premier Current Account. Product features include:

Abbey Preferred Overdraft Rate Bank Account (Switchers):
• Interest free overdraft for 12 months (12.9% EAR typical thereafter)
• 0.5% AER/gross in-credit interest on balances up to GBP2,500 (subject to minimum monthly credit of GBP1,000)
• Overdraft matching up to GBP5,000 available (depending on circumstances)

Alliance & Leicester Premier Current Account:
• Interest free overdraft for 12 months (50p per day up to GBP5 a month thereafter)
• 0.5% AER/gross in-credit interest on balances up to GBP2,500
• Free annual European travel insurance

For more information on the GBP100 offer and to apply, go online at www.abbey.com and www.alliance-leicester.co.uk, in branch or over the phone.

The information contained in Abbey's press releases is intended solely for journalists and should not be used by consumers to make financial decisions.

Abbey and the flame logo are registered trademarks.

Notes to Editors

1. This offer ends for telephone and branch applications on Saturday 7th November, with online applications available until the end of Sunday 8th November.

2. The GBP100 bonus will be paid to new customers applying for an Abbey Preferred Overdraft Rate bank account, or Alliance & Leicester Premier Current Account from Monday 7 September 2009 until the end of 8th November 2009. To qualify customers must switch all direct debits using the Account Transfer Service / Switching Service and credit the account with GBP1,000 (applicable to the Abbey account) / GBP500 (applicable to the A&L account) within 11 weeks of account opening.

3. The minimum funding requirement on the Abbey PODR account is GBP1,000 per month, or GBP500 per month for Alliance & Leicester's Premier Current Account.

4. The GBP100 switching incentive is available to new applicants who do not currently hold any current account with Alliance Leicester, Abbey, cahoot or Cater Allen, and have not held any current account with them in the three months preceding their application.

About Us
Santander (SAN.MC, STD.N) is a retail and commercial bank, based in Spain, with operations in more than 40 countries. At the end of 2008, Santander was the largest bank in the euro zone by market capitalization and third in the world by profit. Founded in 1857, Santander had EUR 1,168 billion in managed funds at the end of 2008.

Following the acquisition of Sovereign Bancorp of the U.S. in January 2009, Santander has 90 million customers, more than 14,000 branches - more than any other international bank - and over 180,000 employees. It is the largest financial group in Spain and Latin America, with leading positions in the United Kingdom and Portugal and a broad presence in Europe through its Santander Consumer Finance arm. In 2008, Santander registered EUR8,876 million in net attributable profit, an increase of 9% from the previous year excluding capital gains.

In the UK, Santander operates three retail businesses - Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and the savings business of Bradford & Bingley. Together they have over 1300 branches, around 4,500 cash machines and they provide a full range of retail and corporate banking services to 24 million customers.

Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and the savings business of Bradford & Bingley will all become known as Santander by the end of 2010.

Abbey and the savings business of Bradford & Bingley will be rebranded from the first quarter of 2010 and Alliance & Leicester will follow later in the year. The move will deliver a significant advantage for customers as they will be able to use any of 1,000 Santander branches from early 2010, rising to over 1,300 by the end of 2010.

The Bradford & Bingley logo is a trade mark of Bradford & Bingley plc and is used under licence.

Media Enquiries

Steve Gracey
Press Office
Tel: 0116 200 3366
Mob: 07753 712674

The Abbey press office operates from 8.00am to 6.00pm. Outside of these hours please call 0800 5877708.

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