Competition watchdog clears challenger banks’ £1.6bn merger

The competition watchdog has cleared the £1.6bn merger between Wolverhampton-based Charter Court Financial Services and OneSavings Bank (OSB), it announced this morning.

In March, Charter Court Financial Services and OSB said that they were in advanced discussions regarding a possible all-share combination of the two companies.

The deal, which would be structured as a takeover by OSB, will see Charter Court shareholders take a 45% stake in the combined group.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has decided, on the information currently available to it, not to refer the merger to a phase two investigation under the Enterprise Act 2002.

However, completion of the deal remains subject to other outstanding conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals from the FCA and PRA.

OSB went public in 2014, while Charter Court was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2017.

Last November, Charter Court launched its fourth office building in Wolverhampton, accommodating 250 staff. The company was founded with 28 employees in one building on the Broadlands site in 2008, and now occupies four offices at the business park and has grown its headcount to nearly 650.

CCFS said its growth is driven by its planned diversification from its core activity of credit risk analysis into providing mortgages and savings accounts through its Exact Mortgage Experts, Precise Mortgages and Charter Savings Bank brands.

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