"This BOS/Halifax identity crisis is a red herring. The real issue is paying cash into other people's accounts, and it's a problem no matter who the relevant bankers are.
You need a pre-printed paying-in slip for the payee's account. "
Absolute nonsense. You can deposit monies into a/cs w/ all the major banks w/ details of the s/c and a/c no. Blank slips are still available in banking halls and have been for some time. Naturally Barclays ones all have the first two digits of the sort code preprinted as 20-, etc etc.
Unusual transactions, whether by nature, volume or frequency may raise the suspicions of the staff and cause them to report their suspicions to their MLRO for consideration, but they will not refuse the credit!
I don't think it is fair to say HBOS have an identity crisis - the Halifax and BOS merged - they are one legal entity but still have vastly different brands in England and Scotland respectively. It is only because BOS want to enter the SME market in England (high time that monopoly was attacked with some sincerity!!!) that they have begun to merge their brands and hence initiated BOS counter services in HX branches.