Christiania Bank og Kreditkasse, branded domestically as Kreditkassen or K-Bank and internationally as Christiania Bank, is a Norwegian bank founded in 1848. Following its acquisition in 2000 by MeritaNordbanken, it became part of the Nordea group. The institution continues its operations as a specialized private banking and investment banking arm within the Nordea structure.
Headquartered in Oslo, it was Norway's second largest bank at the time of its acquisition.
Christiania Bank had branch offices in London, New York, and Singapore.
History
The bank was founded in Oslo (then called Christiania) in 1848 as Christiania Kreditkasse, though changed its name to Christiania Bank og Kreditkasse in 1862. In 1858, the bank moved out of its temporary location at the home of the bank manager, Fritz Henrich Frölich, and to permanent locations. It opened branches in 1897, under the directorship of Peter Harboe Castberg.[1]
The bank expanded out of Oslo in 1957 when it bought