Countrywide Bank registered as a bank in 1987 during a period of significant regulatory change in the New Zealand banking system. At the time of registration the bank's two major shareholders were
Bank of Scotland, a large Scottish bank headquartered in Edinburgh, and
General Accident, a major general insurer headquartered in Perth, Scotland. The bank was listed on the
New Zealand Stock Exchange. In 1992 Countrywide Bank purchased the
United Building Society from the
State Bank of South Australia. In 1998 The
National Bank of New Zealand, which itself was owned by
Lloyds Bank in the UK, purchased Countrywide Bank from the
Bank of Scotland, which by this time had become the sole owner of the bank. • Auckland Co-operative Terminating Building Society • Central Union Permanent New Plymouth Investment and Loan Society • Central Building Society, Palmerston North Co-op Building Society • Consolidated Permanent Building Society • Countrywide Permanent Building Society • New Plymouth Investment and Loan Building Society • Provident Investment and Building Society of Taranaki Building Society a.k.a. Countrywide Permanent Building Society • Western Building Society Building Society a.k.a. Western Co-op, Western Co-op Terminating Building Society • Western Co-operative Building Society • Western Consolidated Permanent Building Society a.k.a. Consolidated Permanent Building Society and Feilding Permanent & Investment Society ==References==