The Helpful Bank

The History of RBTT in the Caribbean 1902–2007

by Alice Besson

Edited by Helen Drayton

The story of this book spans more than fifteen decades: from 1856, when the Merchants Bank of Halifax was established in Nova Scotia; to 1902, when the Union Bank of Halifax opened its branch office in Port-of-Spain; to 1910, when Royal Bank of Canada, successor of the Merchants Bank of Halifax acquired the Union Bank and thus began its establishment in Trinidad and Tobago; to 1972, when The Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago was established as a local bank and to 2007, when RBTT completed 35 years of unparalleled success as a leading indigenous financial services group in the Caribbean Region.

Its purpose is to place on record the strategic corporate insights, decisions and major social, economic and political events that shaped its destiny and also, to share with present and future generations its eventful and successful journey as a major player that contributed immensely to shaping the banking and financial services landscape in Trinidad and Tobago in particular, and the rest of the Caribbean.

ISBN 976-978-8210-21-0

428 pages, hardcover, fully illustrated in colour

Available from the Corporate Communications Department of RBC/Royal Bank, St. Clair Avenue, Trinidad

Paria Publishing donated two copies of "The Helpful Bank" to the UWI libraries in Mona, Cave Hill and St. Augustine. Here is a much appreciated comment by Cherry-Ann Smart, Acquisitions Librarian at Mona Library, which formed part of her thank-you note:
"You must be extremely proud of authoring a monograph of such historical significance to the banking, economic, political and social history of Trinidad and Tobago".