SBS Bank is a registered
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 ...
in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
which was founded in 1869. In October 2008 it gained bank registration and the Southland Building Society became SBS Bank. It is a 100%
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
owned registered bank that has retained a mutual building society structure. It uses the prefix 03 for its account numbers which is the same as
Westpac Bank NZ because they use the same 'lines'. The bank's head office is based in
Invercargill
Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...
.
History
Initially, when founded in 1869, SBS Bank was called Southland Building, Land and Investment Society but was renamed as Southland Building and Investment Society and Bank of Deposit in 1876.
For the first 30 years,
James Walker Bain
James Walker Bain (1841 – 29 September 1899) was a 19th-century New Zealand politician. He was a significant businessman in Invercargill and Southland.
Bain was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1841. His parents were the spirit merchant John B ...
was the society's president.
The name of the bank officially changed to SBS Bank in 1995.
In 2010 Hastings Building Society joined with SBS Bank and in November 2015 HBS Bank amalgamated with SBS Bank.
References
Building societies of New Zealand
Banks established in 1869
Banks of New Zealand
Companies based in Invercargill
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