 The Bank of New Brunswick was established on March 25, 1820 in the pre-Confederation Province of New Brunswick, Canada, under a charter from the British government.It was founded in Saint John, New Brunswick by a group of the colony's prominent businessmen.At the time, Saint John was the largest city in the Maritime Provinces, exceeding in population both Halifax, Nova Scotia, and for a time during the 19th century, even Toronto, Ontario.