Bank of Scotland Ireland's retail banking division has changed its name to Halifax from today as the bank continues the next stage of its €12 million rebranding exercise.

The bank, which is part of the HBOS group, will open its flagship branch on St Stephen's Green, Dublin on Friday. This will be the 24th out of a total of 46 branches that the bank intends to open. Most of the branches are former ESB retail outlets.

Rosaleen Kelly, head of marketing and public relations for the bank, said work was under way on the launch of a Halifax personal current account, which will take place in the first half of 2007.

Signage at the branches was taken down and replaced over the weekend and all future documentation will be in the Halifax name.

The bank is currently engaged in an outdoor, press and radio advertising campaign, and it is also sponsoring the Late Late Show for an undisclosed sum. A television advertising campaign will begin in the new year.

All corporate and business banking will remain under the Bank of Scotland Ireland brand.

The bank has said it is on target to attract 40,000 new customers in the Republic by the year-end.

Halifax has 22 million customers across Europe and is the largest mortgage and savings provider in the UK, where its strategy is to take on the big four banks - Lloyds TSB, Royal Bank of Scotland/NatWest, Barclays and HSBC.

Halifax has branches in Northern Ireland, but Halifax customers in the Republic will not be able to use the Northern branches, as the two banks operate under different banking systems and are regulated by a separate set of rules.

The HBOS group employs more than 4,000 people between the Republic and Northern Ireland.