P505 Teletext 505 Jun24 00:52:12 ————————————————————————————— 42 BRANCHES AXED IN MERGER A total of 42 branches of the Leeds Peroanjnt and Halifax building societies are to close when they merge on August 1. In a further five locations, next door branches will bj combined. The staff will bj redeployed and no jobs lost. In addition, all Leeds outlets will close for the day on July 31 and reopen next day under the Halifax banner. ——————————————————————————————————————— Financial headlines 500 City index 501 TAX, SAVINGS, MORTGAGES - SEE p540 Next CompNews Shares Family Finance