National Irish Bank (NIB) is one of the Big Four commercial banks in Republic of Ireland, the bank is owned by National Australia Bank. National Irish Bank was set up in 1987, under the name Northern Bank (Ireland) Limited, when the Midland Bank, UK separated its operations in the Republic of Ireland from its Northern Ireland operation, Northern Bank. In 1988, Northern Bank, in both the Republic and Northern Ireland, was acquired by the National Australia Bank Limited, and the Republic of Ireland operation renamed National Irish Bank Limited whilst the Northern Bank remains the name of the Northern Ireland operation. National Irish Bank is part of the Laser payment system.
The logo of the National Irish Bank is that of the National Australia Bank, except that the red star has been recoloured green, and "Irish Bank" is added alongside the word "National".
In 1998, RTE journalists Charlie Bird and George Lee uncovered a massive scandal at the National Irish Bank involving overcharging of customers at the bank and tax advoidence schemes. Inspectors appointed by the High Court in Dublin confirmed that the bank had overcharged customers. The future of the bank remains unclear at this stage.