HBOS plc was a banking and insurance company in the United Kingdom, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lloyds Banking Group, having been taken over in January 2009. It was the holding company for Bank of Scotland plc, which operated the Bank of Scotland and Halifax brands in the UK, as well as HBOS Australia and HBOS Insurance & Investment Group Limited, the group's insurance division. On 19 January 2009, the group was acquired and folded into Lloyds Banking Group through a takeover by Lloyds TSB, after both sets of shareholders approved the deal.