Computershare

Last updated

Computershare Limited
Company type Public
ASX:  CPU
IndustryFinancial services
Founded1978;47 years ago (1978)
Headquarters,
Australia
Number of employees
14,000 [1]
Website computershare.com

Computershare Limited is an Australian stock transfer company that provides corporate trust, stock transfer, and employee share plan services in many countries.

Contents

The company currently has offices in 20 countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Canada, the Channel Islands, South Africa, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Germany, and Denmark.

History

Computershare Limited was founded in 1978 in Melbourne, Australia, and has grown largely through overseas acquisitions.

In 1997, the Australian-based Computershare expanded its registry business to include financial markets in New Zealand and the United Kingdom [2] and acquired the Royal Bank of Scotland's registrar department. In subsequent years, it expanded its business into Ireland, South Africa, and Hong Kong.

Computershare and the firm SETL began collaborating on a blockchain project in 2016. [3] In Nov. 2017, Georgeson LLC, a unit of Computershare Ltd, paid $ 45 million to resolve claims by US prosecutors that it had used bribes to obtain confidential information. [4] The Louisville office of Computershare had 650 employees in May 2018. [5] In Nov. 2018, the chairman of Computershare was Simon Jones. Stuart Irving was CEO. [6]

In February 2023, Computershare called for an investigation into the exchange ASX for an alleged conflict of interest concerning the CHESS project, which had collapsed in November 2022. [7]

Acquisitions and sales

In 2004, Computershare acquired the stock transfer sectors of Harris Bank and Montreal Trust and purchased the German-based Pepper Technologies AG. [8] Since 2004, Computershare has acquired registry companies in Russia and India. [2]

In 2005, the company acquired Equiserve. [9] [10]

In 2006 the company bought the shareholder management services from National Bank of Canada. [11]

In July 2007, Computershare acquired Datacare Software Group and its products GCM and Boardworks. [12] Currently known as Computershare Governance Services and its main product GEMS.

In February 2008, Computershare announced a cash takeover offer for Australian mailhouse group QM Technologies Limited. [13]

In September 2008, Computershare bought Lichfield based Childcare Voucher Services business called Busy Bees. [14] The name has been re-branded to Computershare Voucher Services or CVS.

In February 2010, Computershare acquired HBOS Employee Equity Solutions from Lloyds Banking Group for a sum of around £40m. [15]

In January 2012, Computershare acquired Shareowner Services (Stock Transfer Sector) from Bank of New York Mellon (BNYM) for a sum of around $550 Million. [16]

In June 2013, Computershare Limited completed the acquisition of the EMEA–based portion of Morgan Stanley's Global Stock Plan Services business. [17]

On 12 November 2018, it completed acquisition of Equatex Group Holding AG, formerly European shares plan business of UBS. [18] The deal had been announced on 16 May 2018. [19]

On March 23, 2021, Computershare acquired Wells Fargo Corporate Trust business for $750 million [20] in the United States. [21]

The company acquired SunDoc Filings in Sacramento, California in May 2023. Computershare Governance Services at that time was a subsidiary of Computershare Ltd., which was based in Melbourne, and was still traded on the Australian Securities Exchange and had 14,000 employees. It also had operations in around 20 countries after various acquisitions. [22] In October 2023, the company sold its mortgage services unit to Rithm Capital [23] in the U.S. for US$ 720 mln. [24] [25]

On April 25, 2024, Computershare announced that it had agreed to acquire BNY Trust Company of Canada, the Canadian corporate trust division of BNY Mellon. [26] [27]

In December 2015, the Central Bank of Ireland reprimanded and fined Computershare €322,500 for a number of breaches of the law related to the certainty of ownership of client assets. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bank of America</span> American multinational banking and financial services corporation

The Bank of America Corporation is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, with investment banking and auxiliary headquarters in Manhattan. The bank was founded by the merger of NationsBank and Bank of America in 1998. It is the second-largest banking institution in the United States and the second-largest bank in the world by market capitalization, both after JPMorgan Chase. Bank of America is one of the Big Four banking institutions of the United States. It serves about 10 percent of all American bank deposits, in direct competition with JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo. Its primary financial services revolve around commercial banking, wealth management, and investment banking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Australia Bank</span> Australian multinational bank

National Australia Bank Limited is one of the four largest financial institutions in Australia in terms of market capitalisation, earnings and customers. NAB was ranked the world's 21st-largest bank measured by market capitalisation and 52nd-largest bank in the world as measured by total assets in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital One</span> Bank holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia

Capital One Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company founded on July 21, 1994, and specializing in credit cards, auto loans, banking, and savings accounts, headquartered in McLean, Virginia with operations primarily in the United States. It is the 11th largest bank in the United States by total assets as of September 30, 2024, the third largest issuer of Visa and Mastercard credit cards, and one of the largest car finance companies in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Templeton Investments</span> Global investment firm founded in New York City in 1947

Franklin Resources, Inc. is an American multinational holding company that, together with its subsidiaries, is referred to as Franklin Templeton; it is a global investment firm founded in New York City in 1947 as Franklin Distributors, Inc. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEN, in honor of Benjamin Franklin, for whom the company is named, and who was admired by founder Rupert Johnson Sr. In 1973, the company's headquarters moved from New York to San Mateo, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PNC Financial Services</span> Major bank based in Pittsburgh

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is an American bank holding company and financial services corporation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its banking subsidiary, PNC Bank, operates in 27 states and the District of Columbia, with 2,629 branches and 9,523 ATMs. PNC Bank is on the list of largest banks in the United States by assets and is one of the largest banks by number of branches, deposits, and number of ATMs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National City Corp.</span> American bank and part of National City Corp

National City Corporation was a regional bank holding company based in Cleveland, Ohio, founded in 1845; it was once one of the ten largest banks in America in terms of deposits, mortgages and home equity lines of credit. Subsidiary National City Mortgage is credited for doing the first mortgage in America. The company operated through an extensive banking network primarily in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Wisconsin, and also served customers in selected markets nationally. Its core businesses included commercial and retail banking, mortgage financing and servicing, consumer finance, and asset management. The bank reached out to customers primarily through mass advertising and offered comprehensive banking services online. In its last years, the company was commonly known in the media by the abbreviated NatCity, with its investment banking arm even bearing the official name NatCity Investments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genworth Financial</span> American insurance company

Genworth Financial, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, provides life insurance, long-term care insurance, mortgage insurance, and annuities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Custodian bank</span> Type of financial institution

A custodian bank, or simply custodian, is a specialized financial institution responsible for providing securities services. It provides post-trade services and solutions for asset owners, asset managers, banks and broker-dealers. It is not engaged in "traditional" commercial or consumer/retail banking like lending.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BNY</span> American financial services company

The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, commonly known as BNY, is an American international financial services company headquartered in New York City. It was established in its current form in July 2007 by the merger of the Bank of New York and Mellon Financial Corporation. Through the lineage of Bank of New York, which was founded in 1784 by a group that included American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, BNY is regarded as one of the three oldest banks in the United States and among the oldest in the world. It was the first company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2024, it was ranked 130th on the Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations by total revenue. As of 2024, it is the 13th-largest bank in the United States by total assets and the 84th-largest in the world. BNY is considered a systemically important financial institution by the Financial Stability Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macquarie Group</span> Australian investment bank and financial services company

Macquarie Group Limited, more commonly known as Macquarie Bank, is an Australian multinational investment banking and financial services group headquartered in Sydney and listed on the ASX.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBY Limited</span> Former Australian stockbroker company

BBY Ltd was an Australian stock broking, corporate advisory and asset management firm. Prior to its voluntary administration on 18 May 2015, it claimed to be the largest independent stockbroker in Australia and New Zealand by market share. The group provided financial and advisory services to emerging companies and their investors including corporate finance, research, sales & trading, asset management and broker dealer services.

CIBC Mellon is a joint venture founded in 1996 between the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) and then Mellon Financial Corporation to offer asset servicing to institutional investors. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, it comprises two sister companies, CIBC Mellon Trust company and CIBC Mellon Global Securities Services Company.

The National City acquisition by PNC was the deal by PNC Financial Services to acquire National City Corp. on October 24, 2008 following National City's untenable loan losses during the subprime mortgage crisis. The deal received much controversy due to PNC using TARP funds to buy National City only hours after accepting the funds while National City itself was denied funds, as well as civic pride for the city of Cleveland, Ohio, where National City was based.

Guardian Capital Group, founded in 1962, operates several fully owned subsidiaries whose operations are to provide investment management services, financial advisory services, retail distribution of mutual funds, insurance, and general corporate services. Guardian Capital Group is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and became publicly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 1969. As of December 31, 2015, the company has $24.2 billion in assets under management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OFX (company)</span> Australian foreign exchange and payments company

OFX, previously known as OzForex, is an Australian online foreign exchange and payments company with headquarters in Sydney. The company provides money transfer services to individuals such as migrants and expatriates and small businesses as well as providing white-label international transfer services for Travelex, MoneyGram, Xero, Capital One 360 and Macquarie Group.

Wintrust is a financial holding company in the United States that operates 15 chartered community banks in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Wintrust is usually classified as a medium-sized banking institution in the United States and it trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market with stock symbol WTFC. Wintrust is the second largest banking company in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solium</span> Software company in Canada

Solium Capital, now known as Shareworks by Morgan Stanley, is a subscription-software (SaaS) company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is best known for Shareworks, software used by public and private companies to manage their employee stock options and/or cap tables. It also does 409A valuations. The company has ~3,000 clients and has offices in Canada, the United States, the UK, Europe and Australia. Morgan Stanley announced a definitive agreement to acquire Solium in February 2019 for approximately CAD$1.1 billion, a 40% premium over the recent trading price.

Credible Labs Inc., commonly known as Credible, is a financial technology company headquartered in San Francisco. The company also does business through its subsidiary Credible Operations, Inc. Its online marketplace offers consumers the ability to compare and refinance loans, mortgages, and other financial products from lenders. Credible became a subsidiary of Fox Corporation in 2019. In December 2021, Credible acquired digital insurance platform Young Alfred, adding various kinds of insurance including home, auto, and pet to its platform.

Pepper Money Limited, known as Pepper Money, is a consumer finance company that specialises in consumer lending and residential mortgages. It is part of Pepper Financial Services Group, which has offices in Ireland, Spain, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rithm Capital</span> American investment management company

Rithm Capital (Rithm) is an American investment management company headquartered in New York that focuses on real estate and alternative investments.

References

  1. "Our story". Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Computershare – About Computershare – Company History". Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  3. Kelly, Jemima (28 April 2016). "Computershare teams up with start-up SETL on blockchain project". Reuters. Retrieved 24 November 2023.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. Raymond, Nate (30 November 2017). "Computershare's Georgeson unit resolves U.S. fraud probe for $4.5 million". Reuters. Retrieved 24 November 2023.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. "Large sign on downtown tower marks Louisville hiring milestone for Computershare". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  6. Kruger, Colin (14 November 2018). "Computershare gets first strike over CEO's expat expenses". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  7. "Share registry targets ASX's CHESS conflict of interest". Australian Financial Review. 23 February 2023. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  8. "Computershare develops a taste for Pepper". Fairfax. 4 February 2004. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  9. "Computershare acquires US company". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 October 2004. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  10. Wright, Stephen (22 October 2004). "Computershare Buys EquiServe, Expands in U.S." The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  11. "National Bank History". National Bank of Canada. 2008. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  12. "Datacare Acquisition" (PDF). Computershare. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 March 2012.
  13. "Computershare says QMT bid unconditional". The Sydney Mornin Herald. 2 April 2008. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  14. "Computershare Voucher Services: Parent Information Pack" (PDF). Computershare. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  15. "Computershare Acquires HBOS Employee Equity Solutions | Mergr". mergr.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  16. "Computershare Gets BNY Mellon Deal Approval". The Wall Street Journal. 7 November 2011.
  17. "Computershare to Acquire Morgan Stanley's EMEA Shares Business 03-2013". GEO. 11 August 2015. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  18. "CPU completes Equatex acquisition" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 February 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  19. "Computershare to buy Equatex – a European share plans business" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 February 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  20. "Wells Fargo Enters Agreement with Computershare to Sell Wells Fargo Corporate Trust Services". www.businesswire.com. 23 March 2021. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  21. "Computershare's $1b 'delicate dance' in the US". Australian Financial Review. 24 March 2021. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  22. "Australia's Computershare to acquire Sacramento's SunDoc Filings". www.bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  23. https://www.axios.com/pro/fintech-deals/2023/10/02/rithm-capital-computershare-mortgage-business Archived 19 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine [ bare URL ]
  24. "CPU ASX: Computershare offloads US mortgages unit for $1.13b". Australian Financial Review. 3 October 2023. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  25. Chatterjee, Rishav (3 October 2023). "Australia's Computershare to sell US mortgage portfolio for $720 mln". Reuters. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  26. "Computershare to acquire BNY Trust company of Canada - Asset Servicing Times". Asset Servicing Times. 26 April 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  27. "Computershare to buy BNY Trust Company of Canada for $98m". Capital Brief. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  28. "Central Bank fines investor services firm Computershare €322,500". The Irish Examiner. 18 December 2015.