International
Our Products and Markets
Our expertise is focused on clearly defined geographical locations – Australia, Ireland and Europe & North America. We are attracted to these markets because they offer HBOS the opportunity to deploy the strategy used in the UK. These are markets in which HBOS has operated for many years and therefore has extensive experience. HBOS’s market position is one of a ‘challenger’ to a small number of incumbent banks, allowing us to deploy similar skills as used in the UK to capture profitable market share.
Australia
HBOS Australia is a diversified, multi-brand financial services business with operations in Commercial Banking, Corporate Banking, Asset Finance and Insurance & Investment in addition to a full service Retail Bank.
Our Retail and Commercial Banking businesses operate under the BankWest brand with a strong presence in Western Australia, and a growing presence in the eastern states; our Insurance & Investment business is branded under the St Andrew’s, RACV and Whittaker Macnaught brands. These businesses continue to grow strongly, well ahead of market growth, as a consequence of successful customer acquisition strategies. Our Corporate Banking and Asset Finance businesses operate under the BOS International brand and Capital Finance brand respectively. Both are market leading national operations based in Sydney. These two operations continue to generate strong sustainable profits underpinning the investment required to grow our combined Australian Group.
Ireland
In our Business Banking and Intermediary markets we operate a well established franchise under the Bank of Scotland (Ireland) brand where our growth is achieved through working with our customers to deliver innovative banking solutions that suit their needs. Our Integrated and Acquisition Finance proposition which we have been testing has met with considerable success in its first year and adds a valued dimension to our offering.
In the retail market we operate under the Halifax brand where we offer simple, value for money products aimed at overcoming customer inertia, and creating clear differentiation from competitor offerings.
Europe & North America (‘ENA’)
Europe & North America (‘ENA’) is a broadly based, geographically diverse financial services division comprising of the Group’s North American corporate and Continental European retail and investment businesses.
Our US business incorporates a banking branch in New York, supported by a network of nine loan production offices, focusing on sectors where we have specialist, in-depth expertise such as oil and gas, gaming and real estate. Our Canadian operation was established in July 2007 in Toronto and is developing opportunities in real estate, natural resources, infrastructure and corporate finance.
We have a well-established branch-based retail business in Spain, as well as our online and intermediary mortgage business in The Netherlands. Our European investment business, HBOS European Financial Services (‘EFS’) comprises Clerical Medical Europe (‘CME’) and Heidelberger Leben (‘HLE’) and provides us with a strong multi-brand competitor in the core German investment market.