Kredinor from 1905 to 2020
1876
Bonnevie Angell Bureau AS – Norway’s oldest collection agency established in 1876. Later renamed to Heffermehl & Co AS in Bergen, and bought by Kredinor in Bergen in 2003.
1898
Kreditorforeningen Vest established, merged with Kredinor in 2014.
1905
The creditor association Kreditorforeningen i Christiania is founded on 9 January by the retailers association Oslo Handelsstands Forening and the wholesalers association Norges Grossistforbund. Wilhelm Paulssen becomes the organization’s Managing Director.
1926
E. Wulff Pedersen takes over as Managing Director.
1929
The association Norges Kreditorforbund is established to facilitate a collaboration between all the creditor associations in Norway. Trygve Rom becomes the organization’s Managing Director.
1943
During the German occupation of Norway, the Nazi-controlled retailers association Norges Handelsforbund attempts to take control of Kreditorforeningen, but fails.
1946
Kreditorforeningen establishes a separate debt collection department.
1958
Magnus Torgersen becomes Managing Director.
1960
Up to now, Kreditorforeningen has worked mainly with liquidated companies, estates in bankruptcy and debt settlement negotiations. In its first 50 years, the association handles around 15,000 estates. With effect from 1960, debt collection drives the association’s financial development.
1962
Kjenn H. Arntsen becomes Managing Director.
1969
Ragnar Haugland becomes Managing Director.
1970
Norway’s creditor associations establish a central register for credit information under the name Sentralregisteret for Kredittopplysninger AS. The company is operated by the Oslo credit association up until 1987, when its shares are sold to Dun & Bradstreet AS.
1978
Kreditorforeningen establishes its own legal department.
Baard Sig. Bratsberg becomes Managing Director.
1979
Kreditorforeningen’s board of directors decides that it shall conduct its debt collection activities on commercial terms, not as a non-profit organization as it had previously done.
1995
Fakturaservice is established as a separate department for the processing of invoices.
1998
Kreditorforeningen resigns its membership of Norges Kreditorforbund. After 70 years as a member, Kreditorforeningen i Oslo decides to become a nationwide organization. The association subsequently acquires the businesses belonging to the other creditor associations in Narvik, Bodø, Tromsø, Trondheim, Lillehammer, Skien and Kristiansund. It had already taken over similar operations in Drammen and Tønsberg.
2002
Låneservice is established as a separate department for the administration of loans.
2003
Kreditorforeningen is renamed Kredinor at the AGM held on 28 April. The company Parkeringsservice is established.
Kredinor buys Heffermehl & Co AS in Bergen (established as Bonnevie Angell Bureau AS in 1876, Norway’s oldest collection agency)
2005
Kredinor celebrates its centenary.
2007
Kredinor establishes the company Sikringsservice to track and seize vehicles and credit cards in connection with defaulted credit arrangements.
2008
A new strategy is adopted. The company is divided into three business areas, with a shared services unit.
2009
Kredinor establishes its own financing company Kredinor Finans AS.
2011
Kredinor changes its organizational form to a cooperative, which means that its clients become its owners and members.
2012
Kredinor acquires Sopran AS, thereby adding branch offices in Kristiansand and Sandefjord.
2013
Tor Berntsen takes over as CEO.
2015
Kredinor celebrates its 110th anniversary.
Kredinor merges with Kreditorforeningen Vest in Bergen and becomes the largest debt collection company in western Norway, with Kredinor as the brand name and Stavanger as a new branch office.
2016
Kredinor acquires CINN, Christiania Innfordring AS in Kristiansand, specialists within small and medium-sized enterprises.
A modernization project is initiated, to increase the speed of digitalization, among other things simplify the customer communication online and offering new self service solutions.
2017
Kredinor decides to expand in the Nordics, first to Denmark by aquiring the country’s oldest debt collection company Købmandsstandens Inkassoservice As (KIS), whose history stretches right back to 1870. The brand name is Kredinor.
2018
Kredinor acquires Kredit-Inkasso AB from Handelbanken Finans AB. Kredit-Inkasso changes to the brand name of Kredinor.
In May 2018, Kredinor becomes the main sponsor of the world’s best speed skater Sverre Lunde Pedersen. The sponsorship agreement will last until the end of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
2020
During the Corona pandemic lockdown, who lasted from March 13th 2020 until March 2022, around 90-100 % of the employees worked from home.
In June 2020, the authorities mandated a reduction in debt collection fees and charges with effect from 1 October, causing a major income reduction for Kredinor.
2021
Kredinor decides to free up resources for a stronger focus in the Norwegian market, and sells the Danish debt collection business in the subsidiary Kredinor A / S in Denmark and discontinues the business in the subsidiary Kredinor AB in Sweden.
2022
Kredinor decides to free up resources for a stronger focus in the Norwegian market, and sells the Danish debt collection business in the subsidiary Kredinor A / S in Denmark and discontinues the business in the subsidiary Kredinor AB in Sweden.
2022
Klaus-Anders Nysteen takes over as managing director.
On 15 March, Kredinor and Sparebanken 1-owned Modhi Finance announce a letter of intent to merge into Kredinor.
The annual meeting on 3 May 2022 decides to dissolve the cooperative Kredinor SA.
The company Kredinor AS is established and all activities in Kredinor SA are transferred to Kredinor AS from 1 May 2022
In September/October, it is expected that the final authority approvals will be in place for the merger to be carried out.
Kredinor wants the Nordics as its home market, with offices in Norway, Sweden and Finland
2023
On 1 January 2023, the merger is expected to be fully in place with Kredinor AS as the legal owner of all companies.
On 3 January 2023, Kredinor will be launched with a new logo, visual profile and new marketing messages in Norway, Sweden and Finland.