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Royal Bank of Scotland Group

Scottish bank and financial services company
Also known as: RBS
Written and fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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Headquarters:
Edinburgh

Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS), in the United Kingdom, a bank and financial services company that became one of the largest in Europe through its acquisition of National Westminster Bank in 2000. Its headquarters are in Edinburgh, Scot. The Royal Bank of Scotland is the leading U.K. provider of commercial, corporate, and private banking services. RBS conducts business through other entities such as Citizens Financial Group in the northeastern United States and the Ulster Bank in Ireland.

In October 2008 the U.K. government announced a plan to take £37 billion in equity stakes in several of the country’s major banks, including RBS (of which it acquired 70 percent ownership), to prevent the collapse of the financial sector following the subprime mortgage crisis—a severe contraction of liquidity in credit markets worldwide brought about by drastic declines in the value of securities backed by subprime mortgage loans.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Brian Duignan.