the Alliance & Leicester
/ði əˌlaɪəns ən ˈlestə(r)/
/ði əˌlaɪəns ən ˈlestər/
- a former British bank that had branches in many towns and cities. It was originally a building society, and became a bank in 1997. In 1990 it took over the Girobank and in 2008 was itself taken over by Santander. In 2010 the Alliance & Leicester branches were given the new name Santander.