With the new service, customers can pay off costly store cards, book a long-overdue holiday or buy the car of their dreams in a matter of hours. It could be the first step on the way to a financially-savvy new year, a fast and cost-effective route to a major purchase, or a way to ease the financial burden of expensive store card debt simply by consolidating it into one manageable monthly payment.

Richard Al-Dabbagh, manager of personal loans unit at Alliance & Leicester, said: What better way to get your finances sorted out and off to a flying start for the New Year? The fact that the loan takes less time to be paid into your current account means that you can get it working for you even faster.