Ulster Bank

Ulster Bank was founded in 1836 and became a wholly owned subsidiary of NatWest in 1917. In March 2000, NatWest Group was the subject of a successful take-over bid by The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Ulster Bank Group is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the enlarged RBS group, one of the world's largest banking groups. First Active, a leading mortgage provider, was acquired by Ulster Bank Group in January 2004 in a €887 million transaction.

The combination of Ulster Bank and First Active creates a highly effective challenger to the larger competitors in the Irish banking market. First Active's strength in mortgages savings and investment products complement Ulster Bank's broader range of banking products for personal and business customers. Across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, there are approximately 1.8 million personal and business customers, 284 branches and over 7,000 staff.