Santander owned Abbey and Alliance and Leicester current accounts saw the opening of one million new accounts in 2009.
Both the Abbey current account, which offers an interest rate of 6 per cent on balances of up to £2,500, and the Alliance and Leicester current account, which offers an interest free arranged overdraft have proven popular with customers.
Commenting, Alison Brittain, Santander's executive director of retail distribution in the UK said: "It is a significant achievement to open 1 million new current accounts in a year in the UK – especially as Britons are sometimes hesitant when it comes to moving their primary banking relationship.
"We have only been able to do this by offering the most compelling products, a free switcher service and through the dedication of our staff in promoting the benefits of switching to our accounts."
The latest addition to Santander's current account range is the Zero Current Account, available to Abbey mortgage customers, which offers no fees for exceeding authorised overdrafts or using cash machines abroad.
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