National Westminster Bank Plc
Type	Public1
Founded	1968
Headquarters	London, UK
Industry	Finance and Insurance
Products	Financial Services
Employees	33,300
Parent	Royal Bank of Scotland
Website	www.natwest.com
1 Wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group

The Classic NatWest logo

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 the UK, and has a large branch network across England and Wales. Image File history File links Natwestnewlogo. ... A public company is a company owned by the public rather than by relatively few individuals. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of the United Kingdom and the largest city of England (strangely, England has no constitutional existence within the United Kingdom, and therefore cannot be said to have a capital). ... Finance and Insurance is an industry group that mainly handles the transfer of paper and money, financial assets. These include: Accounting, Asset Management, Electronic Communications Networks, Financial Services Regulatory Agencies, Investment Banking Investment Firms, Investment Funds, Lending, Outsourced Financial Products & Services Marketing, Securities Brokers & Traders, Stock Exchanges, Trade Facilitation, and... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... A holding company is a company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control management and operations by influencing or electing its board of directors. ... The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (LSE: RBS) is the successor to The Royal Bank of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: [1]), founded in 1727 by Royal Charter of King George I.[2] Based in Edinburgh, it is a banking and insurance holding company. ... A website (or Web site) is a collection of web pages, typically common to a particular domain name or subdomain on the World Wide Web on the Internet. ... The Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS) is one of Scotlands four national clearing banks and one of the oldest in the UK, founded in Edinburgh in 1727 by Royal Charter. ... NatWest logo taken by C Ford march 04. ... NatWest logo taken by C Ford march 04. ... A commercial bank is a type of financial intermediary and a type of bank. ... The Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS) is one of Scotlands four national clearing banks and one of the oldest in the UK, founded in Edinburgh in 1727 by Royal Charter. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Big Four is the name given to the four biggest banks in a certain area: In the United Kingdom as a whole. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Motto: (Welsh for Wales forever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) Welsh, English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056  Area    - Total 20,779...

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 the 1st 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 to symbolise 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). // Events June 23 - Claimant King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland arrives in Scotland, the only of the three Kingdoms that has accepted him as ruler. ...

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. Coutts is a British bank. ... Ulster Bank (Irish: Banc Uladh) is a large commercial bank, one of the Big Four in Ireland. ... Motto: (Latin for Who would separate us?)[1] Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official language(s) English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, NI Sign Language Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony... The Midland Bank (now part of HSBC) opened as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836. ... Lloyds TSB Group plc is a group of financial services companies, based in the United Kingdom, with the registered office in Edinburgh, Scotland. ... The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (LSE: RBS) is the successor to The Royal Bank of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: [1]), founded in 1727 by Royal Charter of King George I.[2] Based in Edinburgh, it is a banking and insurance holding company. ... Access credit card logo Access was a credit card introduced in 1972 in the UK by four major banks, NatWest, Midland, Lloyds Bank & The Royal Bank of Scotland as a rival to the established Barclaycard. ... Switch was a debit card used in the United Kingdom. ...

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. World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... The far east as a cultural block includes East Asia, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and South Asia. ...

The bank also built the NatWest Tower in the City of 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. Tower 42 is the tallest building in the City of London Tower 42 from directly below Tower 42 viewed from street level. ... Coat of arms The City of London is a small area in Greater London. ...

Problems

The NatWest Bank at Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England is a perfect example of Neo-Renaissance architecture.

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. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 620 KB)NatWest Bank. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 620 KB)NatWest Bank. ... Location within the British Isles Leighton Buzzard is a town near the Chiltern Hills in Bedfordshire, and is between Luton and Milton Keynes. ... Bedfordshire is a county in England and forms part of the East of England region. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Château de Ferrières 1855 Mentmore Towers English Neo-Renaissance of the 1850s. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Blue Arrow is a British employment and recruitment agency. ...

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. 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) is a paramilitary group which aimed, through the use of violence, to achieve three goals: (i) British withdrawal from Ireland, (ii) the political unification of Ireland through the merger of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland , and (iii) the creation of an all... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

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. 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Legal & General Group Plc is a British based financial services company that provides life, health and other insurance, as well as pensions and investments. ...

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. Headquarters on The Mound, Edinburgh The Bank of Scotland is a commercial bank in Scotland (and to a lesser extent the rest of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland). ... The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (LSE: RBS) is the successor to The Royal Bank of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: [1]), founded in 1727 by Royal Charter of King George I.[2] Based in Edinburgh, it is a banking and insurance holding company. ...

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. World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ...

External links

• NatWest website
• NatWest - International Banking website
• NatWest - Offshore Banking website
• NatWest - The Spanish Mortgage

Commercial banks in the United Kingdom

Abbey | Adam and Company | Airdrie Savings Bank | Alliance & Leicester | Allied Irish Bank (GB) | Bank of Ireland | Bank of Scotland | Barclays | Birmingham Midshires | Bradford & Bingley | Bristol and West | Cahoot | Cheltenham and Gloucester | Clydesdale | Co-operative Bank | Coutts & Co | Egg | First Direct | First Trust Bank | Halifax | Harrods Bank | HSBC | Intelligent Finance | Islamic Bank of Britain | Julian Hodge Bank | Lloyds TSB | National Savings and Investments | NatWest | Northern Bank | Northern Rock | Royal Bank of Scotland | Sainsbury's Bank | Standard Chartered Bank | Tesco Personal Finance | The Woolwich | Ulster Bank | Yorkshire Bank