Barclays Bank

The bank's headquarters are at One Churchill Place in Canary Wharf, in London's Docklands, having moved there in May 2005 from Lombard Street in the City of London. Alliance & Leicester has a subsidiary operating in the international market and based on the Isle of Man. Today the bank is a global financial service provider operating in the UK, Europe, United States, and Africa. However, restructuring and the booming UK housing market has powered profit growth. The name "Barclay" first arose in 1736. Its small size means it cannot compete with the larger UK banks on a large scale. The bank can trace its routes back to 1690 in London. In the years after floatation, the Alliance & Leicester has not been a star performer in the banking world.

Barclays Bank LSE: BARC NYSE: BCS (TYO: 8642) is the fourth largest bank in the United Kingdom. With other large building societies such as the Halifax and Woolwich, the Alliance & Leicester decided to float the society on the London Stock Exchange, generating windfall payments to members worth up to £5,000 each. Absa (South Africa). Later the society acquired Girobank, a major banking services provider to small businesses from the Post Office. Barclays Portugal. The former building society was formed by the merger of the Alliance Building Society and the Leicester Building Society in the early 1980s. Barclays Spain. Its main business is in the United Kingdom concentrating on mortgages, current accounts, savings and insurance products.

Barclays Africa - To be 'sold' to Absa (South Africa). The Group provides general insurance, life assurance, unit trusts, personal current accounts and credit cards, asset financing and commercial lending. Open Plan - Internet banking. The four business sectors are: mortgage lending & investments, personal banking, commercial banking and treasury. Woolwich plc - UK mortgage and savings bank. Its headquarters are in Carlton Park, a business park in Narborough, south of Leicester in England. Barclays Global Investors - Institutional Asset Management. It is listed on the FTSE 100.

Barclays Capital - Investment banking. It was formed in 1997 by the floatation of the former Alliance & Leicester Building Society on the London Stock Exchange. Barclaycard - Global credit card business. Alliance & Leicester plc is a British bank, formerly a building society. Barclays Private Clients - Offshore and Private banking. Barclays Bank plc - UK clearing bank.

2005 - Barclays seals £2.6bn takeover of Absa, South Africa's largest retail bank, acquiring a 54% stake on July 27. 2001 - Barclays closes more than 170 rural branches in the UK. 2000 - acquisition of Woolwich Plc (formerly the Woolwich Building Society). 1998 - BZW business broken up, parts sold to Credit Suisse First Boston.

1997 - "black hole" discovered in the accounts of BZW, Barclay's investment bank division. 1969 - acquisition of Martins Bank. 1967 - Barclays unveils the first ATM cash machine. 1966 - Barclaycard launched, the first credit card in the world.

1918 - Barclays amalgamated with the London, Provincial and South Western Bank. 1905-1916 - acquisitions of small English banks extends the branch network. 1896 - several small London banks unite under the banner of Barclays and Co.