Ehsrealtime scoops A&L £25m card and loan task

Alliance & Leicester (A&L) has consolidated its &£25m below-the-line credit card and loans accounts into ehsrealtime (ehs).

The agency beat competition from incumbents TBWA GGT Direct, which handled credit cards, and Brann Worldwide, which dealt with loans.

Tim Pile, A&L’s business strategy and marketing director, says the company wants to create consistent brand-building through one agency.

He says: “Both incumbents have done an outstanding job but we feel that ehs has a good understanding of our customers.”

Pile adds that new media and in-branch marketing will be part of ehs’ remit, but the bulk of the work will be direct marketing.

A&L’s brand advertising, handled by D’Arcy, will not be affected.

A&L announced in April that it was reviewing the accounts. Its MoneyBack credit card has paid back &£53.4m to customers since 1997. The company last year provided unsecured personal loans worth about &£1.5bn to customers.

The company became the sponsor of the hit ITV programme Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in February.

In March A&L opened two retail branches, branded “movingimproving”, designed to help homebuyers.

The stores offer financial advice on A&L mortgages, credit cards and loans as well as in-store coffee bars and Internet desks.