Access Bank Case Study

This study is on Mergers and acquisition as a means of improved business performance and customer satisfaction. The Case study of this research is Access Bank Plc. Chapter one of this study is preliminary. It provides a contextual of the study and reviews the statement of the problem. The chapter provides the specific objectives of the study. It raises the major research question that provides the basis for formulating the hypotheses that are tested later in the study. The significance of the study is also presented in the chapter defining the scope of the research objectives.

1.1 BACKGROUND
Access Bank Plc was licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as an International Bank. It was built up in 1989 with more than 366 branches across Nigeria. The branches cut across all states of the Federation and the FCT. Access Bank PLC is among the top four Banks in Nigeria with total assets in excess of N2trillion, 9 subsidiaries (7 inside the Sub-Saharan Africa, one in the UK, and one in Dubai), and a representative office in China.

In 2011, Access Bank set out on the seamless acquisition of Intercontinental Bank, following Nigeria's 2009 banking crisis. Intercontinental's
The securing of Intercontinental Bank by Access Bank has remarkably changed the substance of the Nigerian banking segment as Access Bank progressed into the upper echelon of banks, which was earlier occupied by First Bank, Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank (GT Bank) and United Bank for Africa, (UBA). Access Bank has ascended to end up the third biggest Nigerian bank in terms of its asset portfolio. The acquisition expanded the level of rivalry in an effectively fierce Nigerian retail showcase and could well drive down expenses for consumers. Access Bank's merger deal with the defunct Intercontinental Bank in 2011 has been deemed to be Africa's top merger and