Bankwest sheds Unisys stake

Local bank Bankwest has sold back to Unisys the 49 per cent stake it held in Unisys West, a Perth-based IT outsourcing company jointly owned by the pair.

The sale of Bankwest's interest in Unisys West puts a nail in the coffin to the joint venture which was established in 2002. The value of the deal has not been disclosed. Unisys West will now be a wholly owned subsidiary of Unisys Australia, according to a statement by Unisys.

Bankwest had outsourced most of its IT infrastructure to Unisys West in 2002, however, by 2006 the bank was making efforts to claw back those services.

In October this year, when the Commonwealth Bank announced it would buy Bankwest from HBOS, Unisys spokespeople said the joint venture still provided some services to Bankwest, but that the two were working towards ending all services. Unisys today said it would continue providing hardware maintenance, application maintenance and support, and bureau services.

Unisys has assured customers of Unisys West, such as the Western Australian Departments of Child Protection and Education and Training, that services would not be affected by the sale.

"Unisys will continue to operate and serve clients in Western Australia in the same manner as it does in other states," Tony Henshaw, Unisys' APAC vice president of outsourcing and infrastructure services said in a statement today. Henshaw was also CEO of Unisys West.