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'National Westminster Bank Plc', trading as 'NatWest', is a commercial bank in the United Kingdom, part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. It was established in 1968 from the merger of 'National Provincial Bank' and 'Westminster Bank'. NatWest is considered one of the Big 4 banks in England and Wales, and has a large branch network across them.

Contents

History

Expansion

Problems

Takeover

External links

History

NatWest can trace its roots back to 1650 with the founding of Smiths of Nottingham. The creation of the National Westminster Bank was first announced in 1968 upon the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. It commenced trading on 1 January 1970 after the necessary Act of Parliament which allowed its creation. Following the merger, the bank's famous three chevron logo was launched (said either to symbolise circulation of money in the financial system or the constituents of the National Westminster Bank; the National Provincial, the Westminster and the District Bank, the latter being taken over by the National Provincial in 1962 and allowed to operate under its own name until the creation of the National Westminster).
The creation of the new bank meant that many branches were closed to eliminate duplication; however new branches were opened in areas such as university campuses and shopping centres.
The National Westminster Bank became one of the Big 4 UK Banks, with a large branch network of 3,600 branches. It also owned the Coutts & Co private bank, as well as Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland. It was also one of the founder members of the Joint Credit Card Company (along with the Midland Bank, Lloyds Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland which launched the Access credit card in 1972). The same banks, although not including Lloyd's, were responsible for the introduction of the Switch debit card in 1988.

Expansion

In the 1980s, the bank decided to expand away from its traditional retail banking in the UK. Its merchant bank operation, County Bank went on an acquisition spree, acquiring various stockbroking and jobbing firms to create NatWest Investment Bank. The bank also expanded internationally, forming NatWest Bancorp in the United States, and opening branches in Europe and the Far East.
The bank built the NatWest Tower in London to serve as its headquarters. It was (and still is) the tallest building in central London, and its footprint is in the shape of the NatWest logo. Also worthy of note is National Westminster House in Birmingham, completed in 1973. This building is no longer owned by NatWest, and most recently was sold to British Land in January 2007.

Problems

The bank's expansion strategy hit trouble in the late 1980s, with the stock market crash of 1987 and involvement in the financial scandal surrounding the collapse of Blue Arrow. Later, the bank would exit from the investment banking business, and sell off its overseas subsidiaries to concentrate on its UK business under a new name, 'NatWest'.
Problems also hit the bank's iconic London office. In 1993, the NatWest Tower was devastated by a Provisional IRA bomb, and the bank vacated the building, later selling it in 1998.

Takeover

In 1999, NatWest announced a merger with Legal & General in a multibillion-pound deal, the first between a bank and an insurance company in UK history. The move received a poor reception in the London financial markets, and NatWest's share price fell substantially.
In response, the Bank of Scotland began a hostile takeover bid for the bank, an audacious move for the smaller Scottish bank. The Bank of Scotland's aim was to break up the NatWest Group and dispose of non-retail assets. NatWest was forced to cancel its merger, but refused to agree to a takeover by a rival bank. The Royal Bank of Scotland tabled another hostile bid and trumped the Bank of Scotland's bid.
The takeover of NatWest made the Royal Bank of Scotland the second-largest bank in both the UK and Europe in terms of stock market value.

External links

★ NatWest website

★ NatWest - International Banking website

★ NatWest - Offshore Banking website

★ NatWest - The Spanish Mortgage