Tony Elumelu

In an another move to bring relief to the depositors of failed banks in Nigeria, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc , West Africa’s largest bank, has announced the acquisition of  the Liberty Bank Plc (in liquidation), thus  bringing to six the number of failed banks acquired by the financial giant in about 12 months.

UBA won the bid to acquire the bank under the Purchase and Assumption arrangement of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).

UBA had already acquired five (5) other failed banks; City Express Bank, Gulf Bank, Trade Bank, Afex bank and Metropolitan bank. All the six banks have now joined Africa’s global bank as a member of the UBA family of over 700 business offices, over 1000 ATMs and a vast range of innovative financial solutions.

“This acquisition inches us closer towards the actualization of our vision of leading the financial services sector across the continent," said Victor Osadolor, Executive Director /Group Financial Officer, UBA Plc.

In line with the Purchase and Assumption scheme, UBA has acquired the physical assets, including all the 17 branches of Liberty Bank, and also assumed the private sector deposit liabilities of the bank.

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A statement from the bank said that though the acquisition of banks under the P&A is a commercial decision, it also serves as the bank’s contribution towards bringing relief to the depositors of the banks in liquidation after a long and anxious wait.

Accordingly, from 23rd June 2008, UBA will commence the verification and assumption of all the private sector depositors as at the date of Liberty Bank’s closure. Creditors (including trade and contingent liabilities, etc) and debtors of the bank shall continue to liaise with the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) for the settlement of their claims and repayment of their debts.

United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc is West Africa’s largest financial services group with assets in excess of US$14 billion. Assenting to its brand positioning as Africa’s global bank, UBA recently restructured its operations to be optimally positioned to actualise its global expansion strategy. With a rapidly expanding presence in Africa, the bank can be found in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, as well as in global money centres - London and New York.

UBA is increasingly recognized as a respected player in the global financial space. This is evidenced in the types of alliances, partnerships and transactions that the bank has been able to secure.  Recently, the bank entered into an exclusive partnership with Arsenal FC for the development of co-branded financial services as well as football-related CSR initiatives. Also recently, UBA was appointed by International Air Transport Association (IATA) as the sole Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) clearing bank; and in May 2008, the Bank of New York Mellon (BNYM), the world’s largest Global Custodian with over 20 Trillion USD in Custodial Assets, appointed UBA Global Investor Services (UBA GIS) as a Sub-Custodian in Nigeria for its Depositary Receipts Programmes. These, among others, underscore the confidence that UBA enjoys from global institutions as a respected African player within the global financial arena.