Alliance & Leicester was a former UK-based bank and PLC, which in later years operated as a trading name of Santander UK before being rebranded as Santander. Alliance & Leicester was legally acquired in May 2010 by Santander UK, and was fully incorporated by 2011. Although all branches now carry the Santander name, its international arm based in Douglas, Isle of Man retains the Alliance & Leicester name and operates separately from Santander UK. Formed in 1985 through a merger of the Alliance Building Society and the Leicester Building Society, Alliance & Leicester became a... bank in 1997 when it was floated on the London Stock Exchange. It was formerly listed in the FTSE 250 Index, having been a FTSE 100 constituent from April 1997 to June 2008. The former building society was formed by the merger of the Alliance Building Society and the Leicester Building Society on 1 October 1985. In 1990, the society acquired Girobank, a major provider of cash-handling services to the government and large companies and current accounts, from the Post Office.
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