A	Aston
B	Balsall Heath
C	Small Heath
D	Duddeston
E	Harborne
F	Selly Oak
G	Sparkbrook
H	Handsworth
J	Rotton Park
L	Ladywood
M	Saltley
N	Northfield
P	Kings Heath
Q	Quinton
R	Lozells
S	Erdington
T	Hay Mills
V	Acocks Green
W	Bearwood
Y	Stirchley
Z	Ward End

Although the majority of these prefixes correspond to the branch name, a few bear no relation. Possible explanations for CB (Shard End) may be that the branch name that was originally selected was Castle Bromwich; and RY (Longbridge) may relate to the transfer of accounts from Rednal & Rubery - which closed when Longbridge was opened in 1935.

 

The above system continued unchanged until a second savings department (the No 2 Department) was introduced in 1957. New accounts opened in this department were again numbered at each branch consecutively, commencing at '1'. To distinguish a No 2 Department account number, the letter 'T' was added as a suffix. Thus the first No 2 Department account at Kingstanding branch would be numbered KS1T.

This combination of letters and numbers produced a few unfortunate results, and steps were taken to ensure that the first accounts in the new department at Hay Mills and Spring Hill were not issued to customers!

To further distinguish No 1 and No 2 Department transaction slips (and thus prevent posting items to the wrong account), a rubber stamp was introduced. A cashier dealing with a transaction for a No 2 Department account, would stamp the slip accordingly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AB	Springfield
AC	Aston Cross
AD	Farcroft
AR	Alum Rock
BD	Brandwood
BG	Bordesley Green
BR	Brookvale
BS	Birchfield
BT	Bartley Green
BY	Billesley
CB	Shard End
CE	Cotteridge
CT	City
GR	Great Barr
HB	Heybarnes
HF	Horse Fair
HN	Halesowen
KG	Kitts Green
KS	Kingstanding
ME	Maypole
MY	Moseley
NR	Newtown Row
NS	Nechells
OH	Hockley
OY	Oldbury
PB	Perry Beeches
PC	Perry Common
PH	Pype Hayes
PY	Pheasey
RY	Longbridge
SC	Sutton Coldfield
SF	Stechford
SH	Spring Hill
SK	Smethwick
SP	Sparkhill
SS	Sherlock Street
ST	Short Heath
SU	Solihull
SW	Sandwell
SY	Shirley
TH	Tower Hill
WG	Wells Green
WH	West Heath
WN	Witton
WS	Wheeler Street
WY	Weoley Castle
YB	Rubery (changed from YR in 1950)
YL	Yardley

The introduction of computer systems generally in the early 1970s, made letter-based methods such as that described above, redundant. The Bank's computer system was not unique in this respect, and each branch's letter was replaced with a number, as follows:

01	Head Office	41	Pype Hayes
02	Acocks Green	42	Quinton
03	Alum Rock	43	Rotton Park
04	Aston	44	Rubery
05	Aston Cross	45	Saltley
06	Balsall Heath	46	Sandwell
07	Bearwood	47	[not used]
08	Billesley	48	Selly Oak
09	Birchfield	49	Selly Park
10	Bordesley Green	50	Shard End
11	Bournville Works	51	Sherlock Street
12	Brandwood	52	Shirley
13	Brookvale	53	Short Heath
14	Cotteridge	54	Small Heath
15	Duddeston	55	Smethwick
16	Erdington	56	Solihull
17	Farcroft	57	Sparkbrook
18	Halesowen	58	Sparkhill
19	Hall Green	59	Springfield
20	Handsworth	60	Spring Hill
21	Harborne	61	Stechford
22	Hay Mills	62	Stirchley
23	Hockley	63	Sutton Coldfield
24	Horse Fair	64	Tower Hill
25	Kings Heath	65	Ward End
26	Kingstanding	66	Wells Green
27	Kitts Green	67	Weoley Castle
28	Ladywood	68	Wheeler Street
29	Little Bromwich	69	Witton
30	Longbridge	70	Yardley
31	Lozells	71	Great Barr
32	Maypole	72	City
33	Moseley	73	West Heath
34	Nechells	74	Bartley Green
35	Newtown Row	75	Castle Vale
36	Northfield	76	Chelmsley Wood
37	Oldbury	77	Four Oaks
38	Perry Beeches	78	[not used]
39	Perry Common	79	Boldmere
40	Blackheath

However, the numbers must have been allocated to the branches some years before the computerisation of the Bank's accounts began in 1973. This allocation was probably done when the Bank joined the TSB Travel Draft Scheme (enabling customers to conduct transactions at any TSB - for example, make a withdrawal whilst on holiday), and may have been done before the newer branches (numbered 71 and above) were opened; Great Barr was opened in April 1958. BMB branches were identified in the TSB Travel Draft Scheme with the prefix '85' - Aston Cross branch, therefore, was 85/5. The allocation of a unique Code Number to each branch was formally circulated in a letter to branches dated September 24th 1963, when they were specified as part of a revised system for dealing with customers' Standing Order instructions to pay gas, electricity, water, and rates accounts.

 

By the date that the No 3 Department commenced (January 1st 1967), a three-part, all-numerical system that specified Branch Code; Department Code; and individual Account Number had been introduced. The format was as detailed in a circular to branches regarding the opening of Castle Vale branch (see above).

On an alphabetical basis, the number '40' would originally have been allocated to Pheasey branch (closed 1960); the number '40' was re-allocated to Blackheath when it opened in 1970.

The number '47' appears not to have been used, although it might have been reserved for 'Great Barr' if the branch had been named 'Scott Arms', the local name for the area in which the branch was situated.

All accounts were re-numbered for computerisation of the accounts in 1973, and incorporated the Bank's unique number from within the Branch Sorting Code system. Each account was allocated a 6-digit stem, to which was suffixed a single digit indicating the type of account (eg Savings; Investment; Cheque; etc) and a single digit that provided a mathematical check on the correctness of the account number.

Prefixed to the account were two digits to identify the branch - as per the list above; and the number 85, which was unique to the Birmingham Municipal Bank. This number was issued in the series allocated to each of the Trustee Savings Banks (eg Coventry TSB 07; Walsall TSB 31; Wolverhampton TSB 33). TSBs in England and Wales had the overall number 77 (TSBs in Scotland: 87). This formal introduction of 6-digit Sorting Code Numbers for each branch was introduced in January 1965, in anticipation of the establishment of the TSB Clearing Centre (which commenced on May 3rd 1965).

A full Account Number, therefore, had the following format: 778579 123456 61, with the first six digits being the branch's Sort Code:

viz 77-85-79.