Sabadell Solbank


Sabadell Solbank was a Spanish bank owned by Banco de Sabadell, which focussed on retail banking for Europeans living in the coastal areas of southern Spain. In 2014, it was fully integrated into the parent company.

History

Banco NatWest España

Banco NatWest March S.A. was formed as a joint venture between Banca March S.A. and National Westminster Bank in 1985. In 1989, NatWest purchased a controlling interest, changing its name to Banco NatWest España S.A. in 1990.
In 1996, Grupo Banco Sabadell acquired Banco NatWest España for £123m, integrating it with its Banco de Asturias subsidiary to form Solbank SBD S.A. in 1997. In 2001, Solbank SBD was legally absorbed into Banco Sabadell, with its branches continuing to operate under the Solbank brand for marketing purposes.

Banco Halifax Hispania

Banco Halifax Hispania S.A.U. was established in 1993, mainly serving about 50,000 British expatriate mortgage customers.
In 1997, the Halifax Building Society demutualised and, in 2001, it merged with the Bank of Scotland to form HBOS. In 2010, following the acquisition of HBOS by Lloyds TSB Group, Lloyds TSB Spain and Banco Halifax's 28 branches became Lloyds Bank International S.A.U.
In April 2013, Lloyds Banking Group reached an agreement to sell the Spanish operation to Banco Sabadell, with the Lloyds Bank name used under temporary licence. This bank was renamed Sabadell Solbank S.A.U. in November 2013, before being fully integrated into Banco Sabadell on 15 March 2014.