Who were the Big Five?

More years ago than I care to remember, I wrote a mnemonic for the big five banks: LBWNM. I can't for the life of me remember what the W was for. I think the line up has now changed; does anyone know when this happened, and what the big four are now?

Reply to
thedarkman
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W = Westminster Bank N = National Provincial Bank

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Chris

Reply to
Chris

I assume it's Barclays, HSBC, NatWest, Lloyds-TSB.

Reply to
The Peeler

No, before you was born.

Reply to
Phister

Don't forget the District Bank, assimilated by the National Provincial in

1962.
Reply to
Phister

Wot about Martin's Bank and Williams & Glyn's Bank?

Reply to
The Peeler

Remember Williams Deacons Bank?

Reply to
Ret.

Is Coutt's the Queens bankers still about ?

Reply to
Phister

Glyn, Mills Bank absorbed Williams Deacon's bank.

Reply to
Phister

Coutts is still around but now owned by Royal Bank of Scotland, which also owns NatWest, btw.

Reply to
The Peeler

William & Glyn's?

Reply to
S

NatWest is part of RBS.

Reply to
S

The historical big five were

Midland Westminster Lloyds National Provincial Barclays

Lloyds joined with the Trustee Savings Bank to become LloydsTSB The Midland was taken over by HSBC Westminster and National Provincial became NatWest Williams and Glyns were bought out by RBS. Williams Deacons Bank is one of those that joined with others to form Williams and Glyns. Coutts was part of NatWest before the RBS takeover.

I suppose these days, you could measure how big a bank is by how much money it lost.

Reply to
johnmids2006

Tell us more about that, poor The Retard! Give this group a chance to learn about you and your psychotic twisted views on life! I'm here to assist you doing just that! ;-)

Reply to
The Peeler

Wot about them, poor The Retard? Do you find they are "Jew infested"? Come on, "grace" this thread and this group with your subnormality!

Reply to
The Peeler

Barclays, Lloyds, Westminster, National Provincial and Midland.

Westminster and National Provincial merged to become National Westminster and Midland were taken over, to save their life, by The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, now known as HSBC. Lloyds took over TSB, whilst Barclays added Martins Bank (a Liverpool based bank with the sign of the golden grasshopper) to their empire and then stamped out its identity.

Reply to
®i©ardo

I wonder if we will soon be back (if we are not already) to the 'big five' with Santander taking the fifth slot.

Reply to
Graham Murray

I remember Williams & Glyn's now, and Coutts, although I don't think Coutts were quite that big.

Reply to
thedarkman

Martins incorporated the Bank of Liverpool and various other smaller banks (e.g. Kendal Bank) were incoroporated into the BoL. The old Martins Bank building is fantastic.

Reply to
Mr X

I've got a picture somewhere of an early W&G cash machine somewhere.

Reply to
Mr X

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