Williams & Glyn was a division of The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and National Westminster Bank (NatWest) consisting of 307 RBS branches in England and Wales and NatWest branches in Scotland. The division was formed because the then RBS Group, owner of the two banks, was required by the European Union (EU) to divest a portion of its business after HM Government took an 84% stake in the group during the 2008 United Kingdom bank rescue package, which the EU classed as state aid. RBS Group was required to divest Williams & Glyn by the end of 2017.