The Advance Bank was an Australian bank that existed from 1985 until 1997, when it merged with St George Bank.[1] It is not related to Advance Bank AG of Germany (which was shut down by Allianz in 2003).
It was established as the NSW Permanent Building & Investment Society in 1939.
In 1982, it established a funds management division, Advance Asset Management, which is now a specialist asset management business within Westpac. "Its focus is on asset allocation and risk management, implemented through a multi-manager process, providing investment opportunities across a range of asset classes, including shares, property, fixed interest and cash."[2]
The building society was demutualised in 1985 and became known as the Advance Bank.[3]
In 1995, Advance Bank acquired the State Bank of South Australia, which it continued to run as a separate business unit as BankSA.[1]