Fokus Bank was established in 1987 following the merger of four banks which had all been founded in the inter-war period. The bank subsequently joined the Danske Bank Group in 1999 as one element of the Group’s overall Nordic Strategy.
1859 – Privatbanken established in Trondheim
The history of Fokus Bank can be traced back to the founding of Privatbanken in Trondheim in 1859. The seven banks that ultimately merged to form Fokus Bank were all established between 1868 and 1932.
1987 – merger leads to Fokus Bank
Fokus Bank came into being with the merger on October 1, 1987, of four Norwegian banks – Buskerudbanken A/S, Bøndernes Bank A/S, Forretningsbanken A/S and Vestlandsbanken L/L. However, a banking crisis was brewing.
Nevertheless, Fokus Bank continued to grow through mergers with three new banks – Tromsbanken A/S, Rogalandsbanken A/S and Samvirkebanken A/S – in 1990, 1991 and 1993, respectively.
1991 – Fokus Bank under Norwegian state control
The Norwegian banking crisis came to a head in 1991, when the Norwegian government assumed full control of the three major clearing banks – including Fokus Bank. Denmark was actually the only country that was unaffected by the Nordic banking crisis at the beginning of the 1990s.
State control meant that Fokus Bank was turned into a regional bank, but in 1992 the worst of the crisis was over and in 1995, just three years later, the Norwegian Government disposed of its shareholding. Four years would elapse before Fokus Bank joined the Danske Bank family.
1999 – Nordic region as home market
The acquisition of Fokus Bank in 1999 was one element in the strategic initiative which stated that the entire Nordic region would be considered the Group’s home market. During the 1990s the Group had gradually increased its international operations. For many years it had also handled significant volumes of business with multinational companies, some of whom operated in Norway.
Fokus Bank today
Today, Fokus Bank has its headquarters in Trondheim, back where the story started in 1859. Trondheim and other Norwegian towns account for many of Fokus Bank’s customers. This perfectly matches the bank’s desire to be locally accessible.