| Former type | Joint-stock |
|---|---|
| Industry | Banking |
| Fate | Merger with Westminster Bank |
| Successor | National Westminster Bank |
| Founded | 1829 |
| Defunct | 1970 |
| Headquarters | 55 King Street, Manchester 2 |
| Parent | National Provincial Bank |
| Subsidiaries | County Bank Limited |
District Bank was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1829 until its merger into the National Westminster Bank in 1970; it remains a registered company but is dormant.[1] Considered one of the Little Six, it expanded during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and took over a number of smaller banking companies.
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Founded as a joint-stock bank, the Manchester and Liverpool District Banking Company immediately amalgamated with the private bank of Christy, Lloyd and Co. (established 1824).[2] Later it was able to purchase the following banks:
| Date | Acquisition | Established |
|---|---|---|
| 1844 | Nantwich & South Cheshire Bank | 1839 |
| 1844 | Loyd, Entwisle & Co., Manchester | 1771 |
| 1844 | J. O. & G. Alcock, Burslem | 1830 |
| 1909 | Lancaster Banking Co. | 1826 |
| 1916 | Bank of Whitehaven | 1786 |
In 1935, the bank merged with the County Bank (established 1862)[3] and the following year, District Bank Limited, as it had become known, was admitted to the London clearing house.[4]
Following acquisition by National Provincial Bank in 1962, the two banks maintained their separate identities and independent operations.[5]
In 1968, National Provincial announced its merger with the Westminster Bank.[6] The District, National Provincial, and Westminster banks were fully integrated in the new firm's structure, while Coutts & Co. private bankers, Ulster Bank, and the Isle of Man Bank continued as separate operations. The statutory process of integration was completed in 1969 and the new company, National Westminster Bank Limited, opened its doors for business on 1 January 1970.[7] NatWest, as it became known, is now part of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group.