Adelaide Bank was only established in January 1994, but its roots go back to the turn of the century. 

The bank evolved from the Co-operative Building Society of South Australia (1900), which, after its merger with the Hindmarsh Building Society (1877) in 1992, was deemed the country’s largest building society. Since then, Adelaide Bank has operated upon a foundational principle that “home ownership is the cornerstone of a successful community”. 

After a few years, it merged with Bendigo Bank in November 2007 to form what is now Bendigo and Adelaide Bank (an ASX-listed company). Before the merger, Adelaide Bank was heavily involved in providing residential mortgage lending and retail banking services, including savings accounts and term deposits. Its offerings were tailored to meet the needs of individual customers and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). 

Post-merger, Adelaide Bank now functions primarily as a wholesale banking business within the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Group. It remains heavily involved in home lending, albeit focusing on providing its products through its wide network of mortgage brokers and managers. 

Adelaide Bank, through its merger with Bendigo Bank, also provides funding support to various smaller lenders and financial service providers, such as Tiimely Home and Reduce Home Loans.

The merger with Bendigo Bank was deemed a strategic move that combined the strengths of both institutions. While Adelaide Bank is more involved in the backend, wholesale side of business, Bendigo is more customer-facing and provides direct consumer banking solutions. 

Customers interested in Adelaide Bank’s products and services must access them through the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Group’s network, as the former has no standalone branches under the Adelaide Bank name following the merger. 

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank operates several branches and ATMs nationwide, and currently ranks as the seventh-largest bank in Australia with more than $110 billion in residents' assets on its books.