Editing ASB Bank (section)

==History==
ASB was established in 1847 as the Auckland Savings Bank. The first meeting was held in the store of [[John Logan Campbell|Campbell]] and [[William Brown (New Zealand politician)|Brown]], and was attended by John Logan Campbell, Dr John Johnson, Rev [[Thomas Buddle]], [[John Jermyn Symonds]], John MacDougall, David Graham (a brother of [[Robert Graham (New Zealand politician)|Robert Graham]]), [[Robert Appleyard Fitzgerald]],<ref name="DNZB1940 Fitzgerald">{{cite book
 | page         = 259
 | editor-last  = Scholefield
 | editor-first = Guy
 | editor-link  = Guy Scholefield
 | title        = A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : A–L
 | volume       = I
 | year         = 1940
 | publisher    = [[Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)|Department of Internal Affairs]]
 | location     = Wellington
 | url          = https://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/documents/dnzb-1940/scholefield-dnzb-v1.pdf
 | access-date   = 26 January 2014
}}</ref> [[Thomas Forsaith]], [[John Israel Montefiore]], [[James Dilworth]], [[Alexander Kennedy]], and William Smellie Graham.<ref>{{cite book
 |last          = Reed
 |first         = A. W.
 |author-link    = Alexander Wyclif Reed
 |title         = Auckland, the city of the seas
 |year          = 1955
 |publisher     = A.H. & A.W. Reed
 |location      = Wellington
 |page          = 80
}}</ref><gallery mode="packed">
File:Interior of the Auckland Savings Bank, 1090085.jpg|Interior of Auckland Savings Bank, circa 1910
File:Banking Akd Savings Bank, 1110549.jpg|View of banking chamber, Auckland Savings Bank, circa 1910
File:Auckland Savings Bank, 1072656.jpg|Auckland Savings Bank building, circa 1910
</gallery>During the 1980s the association of savings banks amalgamated the local savings banks throughout New Zealand with ASB at their head, and adopted the name, ASB Trust Bank. In 1986, ASB withdrew from the [[Trust Bank (New Zealand)|Trust Bank]] and in 1987 became a full-fledged [[commercial bank]] under the name, ASB Bank. In 1988, the Government passed the Trustee Banks Restructuring Act, which enabled ASB to become a public company. In 1989, the owner of the bank, [[ASB Community Trust]], sold 75% of the shares to [[Commonwealth Bank]]. In 1994, ASB purchased and amalgamated [[Westland Savings Bank|Westland Bank]], another former savings bank, located on the South Island's west coast, which enabled it to operate on a truly national basis.  In 1999, ASB Group acquired [[Sovereign Limited]], a life insurance company, and the retail stockbroking and fixed income operations of [[Warburg Dillon Read]]. In 2000, Commonwealth Bank bought the remaining 25% of ASB's shares from the Trust. In 2005 the bank changed the ASB Bank brand to ASB to reflect the more integrated financial services provider that it had become.

In early July 2020, ASB announced that it would be closing nine branches while 25 branches would be moving to three day weeks due to a shift in demand for online services. The company will also hire 150 additional staff to provide specialist online support.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nine ASB branches to close, 25 others to have opening hours slashed |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/420242/nine-asb-branches-to-close-25-others-to-have-opening-hours-slashed |access-date=1 July 2020 |work=[[Radio New Zealand]] |date=1 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701081616/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/420242/nine-asb-branches-to-close-25-others-to-have-opening-hours-slashed|archive-date=1 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Burrows |first1=Matt |title=ASB Bank closing nine branches in New Zealand's main centres |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2020/07/asb-bank-losing-nine-branches-in-new-zealand-s-main-centres.html |access-date=1 July 2020 |work=[[Newshub]] |date=1 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701081933/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2020/07/asb-bank-losing-nine-branches-in-new-zealand-s-main-centres.html |archive-date=1 July 2020}}</ref>