Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The British Bankers' Association was established in 1919 as a result of the merger of the Central Association of Bankers and the Association of English Country Bankers. Its object was to better promote the interests of the banking community by having just one responsible association.
The Central Association had been established in 1895 by representatives of the London Clearing House, the West End banks and the Association of English Country Bankers to "safeguard the interests of bankers as a whole ... without in any way interfering with the work of the older societies". From the start, the Central Association was a channel for consultation, information and defence of banks. It was not concerned with the interests of bank officials which were cared for by the Institute of Bankers, although it shared the Institute's premises at 34 St Clements Lane.
The Association of English Country Bankers had been formed in 1874 to defend the interests of country banks.
Until 1972, membership of the British Bankers' Association was open only to British (including Dominion and Colonial) banks. After 1972, it was enlarged to include representatives of all recognised banks operating in the United Kingdom.
In 1991, the Committee of London and Scottish Bankers, formerly the Committee of London Clearing Bankers, was subsumed into the Association.
The British Bankers' Association archive also includes records of a number of other organisations including the London Clearing House, later known as the Bankers' Clearing House Limited, and the Committee of London Clearing Bankers which oversaw it.