[edit] Identifying the Big Five

I agree that it is useful to identify the Big Five. However, I am not sure the scheme of using 'small caps' is very useful. It won't work on devices without a smallcaps font, such as a screen reader, but more importantly, HSBC doesn't stand out that way at all.

I have changed the HSBC link to HSBC Bank, to avoid visual confusion with the HSBC parent group article, and to allow small caps to work there.

However, a layout like {{UK supermarkets}} might be better:

v • d • e Supermarkets in the United Kingdom "Big Four" Asda • Morrisons • Sainsbury's • Tesco Major chains The Co-operative Food • Marks & Spencer • Somerfield • Waitrose Discount chains Aldi • Lidl • Netto Frozen foods Farmfoods • Iceland Convenience stores Budgens • Costcutter • Londis • Nisa-Today's • SPAR • Scotmid • Premier Stores

Thoughts?

-Hroðulf (or Hrothulf) (Talk) 09:52, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure I'm keen on the "small caps" approach: maybe separate out the "big five" and rename the commercial banks section as "Other commercial". There is the issue of some of the others being owned by one of the "big five" (NatWest being the prime example, as well as the various bits of HBOS, etc.). It might also be worth noting that the article Big Five (banks) is about Canadian banks. --RFBailey (talk) 16:08, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

• Revisiting this template, I agree, so I've tried replacing the smallcaps with bold italics. (I first tried bold, then remembered this is what Wikipedia uses when a link points to the page it's on.) Does this work? Sardanaphalus (talk) 18:29, 8 August 2008 (UTC)
  PS Big Five (banks) might be about Canadian banks, but the "Big Five" link here currently points to Big Four (banks). Maybe the former should be renamed "Big Five (Canadian banks)" and the latter "Big Five (UK banks)"?

[edit] Ownership

I've had a stab at redoing the template to address the following issues:

• Something which shows the (shared) ownership of the brands; and
• Need to distinguish between the "private banks" which are privately owned, and the "private banking" for rich folks.

There's still the paradox of having 7 big four banks. Either we emphasise the Groups which are "Big 4", or emphasise ALL their brands. The current halfway option makes little sense. Any thoughts?

v • d • e Bank chains in the United Kingdom Commercial Allied Irish Banks Allied Irish Bank · First Trust Bank Bank of Ireland Bank of Ireland · Bristol & West Barclays plc Barclays Bank Citigroup Egg The Co-operative Group The Co-operative Bank · Smile Danske Bank Northern Bank Dresdner Bank private banking: Kleinwort Benson Grupo Santander Abbey · Alliance & Leicester · Bradford & Bingley · Cahoot private banking: Cater Allen Private Bank HSBC First Direct · HFC Bank · HSBC Bank Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland · Birmingham Midshires · Cheltenham & Gloucester · Halifax · Intelligent Finance · Lloyds TSB partnership Sainsbury's Bank National Australia Bank Group Clydesdale Bank · Yorkshire Bank Royal Bank of Scotland Group National Westminster Bank · Royal Bank of Scotland · Ulster Bank private banking: Adam and Company · Child & Co · Coutts & Co · Drummonds Bank Salvation Army Reliance Bank Tesco Tesco Personal Finance Independent Airdrie Savings Bank · Anglo Irish Bank · Close Brothers Group · Handelsbanken · Islamic Bank of Britain · Julian Hodge Bank · Standard Chartered Bank Private banks Arbuthnot Latham & Co · Butterfield Private Bank · Harrods Bank  · C. Hoare & Co  · N M Rothschild & Sons · Raphaels Bank State-owned UK Financial Investments Limited National Savings and Investments · Bradford & Bingley (mortgage assets only) · Northern Rock The bank groups marked in pink indicate the UK's big four banks.

Bazj (talk) 23:00, 21 March 2009 (UTC)

fixed coop parent Bazj (talk) 19:40, 22 March 2009 (UTC)

resolved the Big4 issue Bazj (talk) 20:10, 22 March 2009 (UTC)