The taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland "is preparing to strike one of its biggest sports sponsorship deals" since its £45B bail-out by "replacing Waitrose as the main partner of English cricket," according to Mark Kleinman of SKY NEWS. RBS is reportedly in "advanced talks" with the England & Wales Cricket Board about "a tie-up that would see the bank's NatWest brand emblazoned across the shirts of players such as Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad." The deal will "underline the growing confidence" of RBS execs that its public image is "starting to be rehabilitated nearly eight years after it was rescued by the Government." Sources close to the bank said that an agreement was close to being finalized and "likely to be announced in the next few weeks." It is estimated to be worth around £4M ($5.7M) annually to the ECB, "and is likely to run for a period of several years" (SKY NEWS, 6/17). In London, Jill Treanor reported "the increased visibility of the NatWest brand is also being imposed on RBS by the European Union" under the terms of its £45B taxpayer bailout -- the RBS brand "will in effect disappear from England and Wales." The RBS brand will, however, "retain its dominant presence on Scottish high streets." The makeover has been planned "for some time" (GUARDIAN, 6/17).
