Two of Scotland's oldest financial names, Scottish Life and Scottish Provident, may vanish in a rebranding exercise by Royal London.

Scottish Life, the Edinburgh-based pensions specialist, founded in 1881 and a mutual since 1967, has maintained its brand identity since being bought by mutual Royal London 13 years ago.

Scottish Provident, founded in 1837, had lived on as a protection brand after closed fund group Phoenix sold that book of business to the mutual in 2008.

Earlier this year the group, headed since last year by Phil Loney, brought in Clare Salmon formerly at Prudential and RSA as group brand director.

Now the group says it has appointed The Brand Union and VCCP as "strategic brand and communication partners as it transitions to a masterbrand strategy ahead of a relaunch in 2014".