BDO

History

BDO Unibank was established on January 2, 1968 as Acme Savings Bank, a thrift bank with just two branches in the area before Metro Manila was formed. In November 1976, Acme was acquired by the SM Group, the group of companies owned by retail magnate Henry Sy, and renamed Banco de Oro Savings and Mortgage Bank.

In December 1994, BDO became a commercial bank and was renamed Banco de Oro Commercial Bank. In September 1996, BDO became a universal bank, which led to the bank's name being changed to the current Banco de Oro Universal Bank (BDO Unibank).

BDO Unibank eventually became involved in insurance services in 1997 (it is a bancassurance firm) by establishing a subsidiary called BDO Insurance Brokers. In 1999, BDO Unibank expanded its insurance services through partnerships with Zamora Assurance and Assicurazoni Generali s.p.a. (Generali), one of the world's largest insurance firms, and Jerneh Asia Berhad, a member of Malaysia's Kuok Group. In March 2000, BDO Unibank partnered with Generali Pilipinas Life Assurance Company and Generali Pilipinas Insurance Company.

Merger with Equitable PCI Bank

The current bank is the product of the Banco de Oro–Equitable PCI Bank merger. The boards of both banks agreed to merge on December 27, 2006. The new BDO Unibank retained the ticker symbol of the old Banco de Oro, and 1.3 billion BDO shares were issued in exchange for 727 million Equitable PCI Bank shares. Equitable PCI Bank was de-listed on June 4, 2007.