is a Japanese

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

that is headquartered in

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

. The Hokkaido Bank is a subsidiary of the Hokuhoku Financial Group as a result of a merger with the

Hokuriku Bank is a Japanese regional bank headquartered in Toyama, Toyama; '' Hokoriku'' refers to a greater region in Japan that encompasses Fukui, Ishikawa, and Toyoma prefectures. In addition to the Hokuriku region, the bank has branches in Kyoto, Osaka, ...

on September 1, 2004. The Hokkaido Bank has 134 domestic branches, with 131 of them in Hokkaidō, and one each in the Tohoku region,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, and

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

History

The Hokkaido Bank was established on March 5, 1951 in Sapporo. In 1997, Hokkaido Bank entered into

merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

talks with the embattled

Hokkaido Takushoku Bank , literally ''Hokkaidō Exploitation Bank'', was a major commercial bank in Japan, founded in 1899 as a "Special Bank" to promote capitalism on the island of Hokkaidō. Its nickname was ; it was also known in the media and business world as . It was ...

. However, these talks broke off and Hokkaido Takushoku Bank subsequently entered

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

. On May 24, 2002, Hokkaido Bank and

agreed to business tie-ups. Approximately one year later on May 23, 2003, the banks agreed to merge management. On September 1, 2004, both banks became subsidiaries of the Hokuhoku Financial Group.

External links

Hokkaido Bank

Hokuhoku Financial Group

Hokuriku Bank
Hokkaido region Regional banks of Japan {{asia-bank-stub