SWAN National is to change its name later this year as part of a global re-branding exercise. The contract hire specialist will adopt the HSBC name and brand image of its parent company, which has already subtly appeared on Midland Bank branches across the country. The changes will go deeper, however, bringing HSBC and its contract hire operation closer and giving Swan National greater access to the bank's customer base.

'The business community realises the advantages of dealing with a global finance provider,' said Tim Holmes, general manager of Swan National. 'We are a product specialist and we will have a specialist sales force able to work alongside colleagues within the group. There is a lot of scope in increasing our leads, because most of our customers are not HSBC-banked.'

Swan National already finds itself within HSBC's Forward Trust asset finance division, funding and managing everything from cars to rail transport. Contract hire is the embodiment of this product philosophy, providing an asset for a fixed cost, and Holmes sees continued growth potential for contract hiring company cars in the UK and Europe.