Irish Bank would be moving towards a cash-free operation, An Post was announced as the third party who will accept lodgments on behalf of NIB. This came into effect from 1 November. It meant that all National Irish Bank customers will be able to lodge cash they may have in any An Post office around the country, currently there are over 1,200 An Post branches in ROI. Reintegration with Northern Bank and rebrand On 10 May 2012, Danske Bank announced that Northern Bank and National Irish Bank would be merged on 1 June 2012, under the Northern Bank management team and the Danske Bank name, effectively reversing the separation between the two. The rebrand was completed on 18 November 2012. At the time the bank closed its 27 branches to focus on corporate and private clients, subsequently pulling out of the personal/retail banking market completely. Tiger robbery, August 2006 The Killester, Dublin branch (known as Howth Road branch) of National Irish Bank was the scene of a 'tiger robbery' on 29 August 2006 when a 23-year-old employee was kidnapped by an armed gang. The bank handed over a ransom of €270,000 without informing or involving the Garda Síochána. The Garda Síochána heavily criticised this action, stating that it leaves the bank exposed in the future to replica attacks. However, the Howth Road branch has since become a cashless branch. Closure of personal banking On 31 October 2013 Danske Bank announced it would be withdrawing all personal banking services in the Republic of Ireland on a phased basis in the first half of 2014. See also List of companies of Ireland References External links Report on Investigations into the Affairs of National Irish Bank Limited and National Irish Bank Financial Services Limited Danske Bank NIB Acquisition site Banks of Ireland Financial services companies based in Dublin (city) Irish people convicted of tax crimes Banks established in 1986 Ireland Irish companies established in 1986 Irish subsidiaries of foreign companies