National Provincial Bank National Provincial Bank National Provincial Bank was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1833 until 1970 when it was merged into the National Westminster Bank. It continued to exist as a dormant non-trading company until 2016 when it was voluntarily struck off the register and dissolved. Considered one of the "Big Five," the National Provincial Bank expanded during the 19th and 20th centuries and took over a number of smaller banking companies. It was based on Bishopsgate, at the thoroughfare's junction with Threadneedle Street, in London. The National Provincial Bank played a unique role in
British Business Bank companies with a turnover of up to £25m. The bank does not lend to SMEs directly, but instead works with other financial institutions to increase access to funding, such as by providing part-guarantees for loans. After the January 2018 liquidation of Carillion threatened thousands of suppliers, particularly SMEs, £100m of lending was offered by the British Business Bank, alongside a fund established by HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Bank. The business bank came under criticism from rebuildingsociety.com for its execution of the Funding for Lending scheme, where it has created unfair competition in the UK peer-to-peer lending industry