Santander, the company that own the Abbey National, have made a takeover approach for the A+L. From my experience with the Abbey since Santander took over the service, reliability and operation of the bank has gotten to an all time low over the course of my time with them (18 years). If Santander bring the same skills and mindset to A+L if they manage the takeover then the only winners will be competitor banks you can move your business to.
Santander Makes A&L Bid Approach (BBC News; Monday 14th July 2008)
