centre. From 1970, these were replaced by "Allied Irish Banks". In 1990, AIB introduced a new logo (prompted, it was said in some quarters, by the remarkable similarity between its previous logo and that of Mercedes-Benz.) Since then, the bank has preferred to be referred to as "AIB", though "Allied Irish Banks plc" remains its legal name. The bank is often referred to colloquially as "AIB Bank", an example of a redundant acronym. This is due to the name "AIB Bank" being adopted for the Republic of Ireland branch banking business at the time of the 1990 rebrand (with the word "Bank" being printed in the green stripe in the logo). This version of the logo is no longer used in print advertising but can still be seen on the façades of most AIB branches in the Republic. The 'Trustee Savings Banks' similarly rebranded to "TSB Bank" in 1993. The new logo features a depiction of Noah's Ark, after a carving on a Celtic cross at Killary Church near Lobinstown in County Meath, which dates from the 9th century. History Allied Irish Banks Limited was formed in 1966 as a new company that acquired three Irish banks: Provincial Bank of Ireland, the Royal Bank of Ireland, and the Munster & Leinster Bank. In 1966, AIB's aggregate assets were IR£255 million (€323.8 million)—as at 31 December 2005, the AIB Group had assets of €133 billion. In the 1980s the introduction of their Automatic Teller Machine Network called Banklink just shortly after the Bank of Ireland Pass. ATMs were only available in cities and major towns in the 1980s but arrived into smaller and medium towns during the 1990s. Early history In 1825, Provincial Bank commenced operations, pioneering joint stock branch banking in Ireland. It also established a branch in London. Royal Bank of Ireland (RBI) commenced operations in 1836, becoming known for its mercantile links. Shaw's Bank merged with Royal Bank in 1837. In 1864, the Munster Bank was established. In 1867, the Munster Bank purchased some of the branches of the unsuccessful Union Bank of Ireland. In 1870, The Munster Bank acquired the David La Touche & Son bank. In 1885, the Munster Bank failed due to debt and ran out of cash, causing it to close all of its branches. Also in 1885, The Munster and Leinster Bank commenced operations. In 1923, the Royal Bank of Ireland bought the