ACCBank plc is a commercial bank in Ireland that focuses on agriculture and SME lending. The bank has its origins in the Agricultural Credit Corporation (Corparáid an Chairde Talmhaíochta) set up in 1927 in the Irish Free State to finance agriculture, the bank was successful and lead to the creation of the Industrial Credit Company which was modelled on it and provided finance to industry. In the early 1990s, the company name was changed from "Agricultural Credit Corporation plc" to "ACCBank plc" in order to signify that the company was now targeting more than simply agricultural customers. In early 2002, the bank was sold by the Irish Government to Rabobank.
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1927
The Agricultural Credit Corporation was founded in September 1927 and was one of the first creations of the Irish Free State.
1988
A new Agricultural Credit Act empowered the corporation to deploy up to 25% of its risk assets outside agriculture and the foundations of present day ACCBank were laid.
2000
ACCBank refocused its business model on the SME and Agri sectors positioning the bank as a relationship bank in these sectors.
2002
ACCBank became a wholly owned subsidiary of Rabobank.
Present day
With the backing of its parent, ACCBank is now embarking on ambitious plans to strengthen and grow its presence in Ireland as a leading Business and Agri-business bank. Now, as part of the Netherlands-based, AAA rated, Rabobank Group, ACCBank’s range of products and services includes commercial mortgages, working capital finance, asset finance and leasing and wealth management.
For the second year running, ACCBank was title sponsor of the 2007 Champion Hurdle, Ireland's richest Grade 1 Hurdle race, which took place on the concluding day of the Irish National Hunt Festival at Punchestown, on Friday 27 April.
Horse racing is almost a religion in Ireland and is strongly associated with both the Agri and SME market. Punchestown is the number one festival in the National Hunt racing season, as well as being one of the biggest corporate events in the calendar. This year's Festival attracted a record-breaking 32,500 people to the racecourse in Co. Kildare a few miles out of Dublin, including upwards of 3,000 corporate guests per day.
The race itself was a thrilling spectacle, with Silent Oscar pipping last year's winner Macs Joy at the post, to rapturous applause from the packed grandstands.
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