BankDirect is a division of the Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n owned ASB

ASB Bank

ASB is a New Zealand bank owned by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. It is one of the largest New Zealand banks, with branches throughout the country. It operates BankDirect, a branchless banking service that provides service via phone, Internet,...

 bank, providing internet and phone based banking in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

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History

BankDirect began in October 1997 and was the only bank in New Zealand to only operate via Internet and phone without any physical branches. BankDirect used the leverage of not having physical branches to offer lower home loan interest rates and higher interest rates on their savings accounts.

Not to be confused with the BankDirect division of Texas Capital Bank. A consumer Internet based bank based in Dallas, TX.