In Germany savings banks are public credit institutes after KWG, which operates banking transactions due to the savings bank laws of the Lands of the Federal Republic and the statute issued in addition for each individual savings bank. The designation savings bank is legally protected after credit system law.

Legal form

Savings banks are as a rule institutes of the public right. Carrier of a savings bank is a local regional administrative body (city, district) or a local Zweckverband. Legal bases are the savings bank law of the respective Land of the Federal Republic, in which the savings bank has its seat, and a statute issued by the carrier. Organs of the savings bank are the executive committee as an acting committee and the board of directors as a supervisory board. In different Lands of the Federal Republic the savings banks form a Kreditausschuss as the further organ.

Besides there are sieved free savings banks, which in Germany not when are organized institute of the public right, but another legal form have.

Business model

The savings banks operate all usual banking transactions with private households, enterprises, municipalities and institutional customers as universal credit institutes. To it belong the insert business, the exchange, the loan business and the security business. Further financial services are offered with group partners so mentioned. Examples of it are:

• Depot, foreign and large loan business over the Landesbank
• Building-save over the national building societies (LBS)
• Insurance over public insurers (e.g. Provinzial, savings bank insurance, –RAG, insurance chamber Bavaria etc.)
• Fund business over the DekaBank
• Leasing business over the German leasing.

Savings banks are subject to the regional principle. Afterwards the line of business of a savings bank covers generally the area of the respective local carrier.

The savings bank banking syndicate is in many business fields of the financial service industry market leader in Germany. The general association of all savings banks is the German savings bank and Giroverband.

History of the savings banks

Establishment of the savings banks

The first German savings banks were originally created on initiative by national rule or private individuals, in order to open to poorer social classes the possibility, a long-term, of forming safe and interest-bearing reserve for the accomplishment of the adversities of the life (illness, age etc.). The first savings bank was furnished to 1749 by the realm abbey Salem for the administration of orphan's annuities. Further ones developed 1765 in Bonn village in the Black Forest, 1778 in Hamburg, 1786 in Oldenburg, 1789 in Fulda, 1796 in Kiel and 1804 in Koblenz. 1818 were created in Stuttgart the save Casse for the whole Kingdom of The number of savings banks rose from then on rapidly on (1836: 300 savings banks, 1860: approx. 1,200, 1913: approx. 3,100 savings banks). Most of it developed as local institutes, as first for example the savings bank Goettingen (1801).

Modernization and consolidation

Into the 1920er years experienced the savings banks a strong modernization phase, among other things because they took up the cashless money transfer (see Sparkassenreformer Johann Christian Eberle), starting from 1918 into the building savings business entered and insurance offered. Further milestones were e.g. the admission of the consumer loan with its gathering molds starting from 1952 as well as the increasing automation of the exchange starting from the early 1970er years. At center of the 1990er years began a first consolidation in the savings bank sector. By economically caused fusions the number of the savings banks took off until 2005 on approximately 480 (2002: 519.

Security system of the savings banks

The inserts of the savings bank customers become secured by their own security system of the savings bank banking syndicate. This consists of the regional savings bank supporting funds, the safeguard reserve of the Landesbank as well as the contingency fund of the national building societies. The security system of the savings bank banking syndicate is united in an adhesion group, so that in a case of crisis the total volume of all funds is available for institute-securing measures. The adhesion group secures the attached institutes (Institussicherung) and ensures their liquidity and solvency.

Savings bank s

The savings bank s belongs to the most well-known brand names (Corporate Identity) in Germany. Red S with point is to stylize a savings box with coin and 1938 was for the first time used. The red color (HKS 13) got the Logo only 1972. It is patentrechtlich protected.

Savings banks abroad

There are savings banks world-wide in 86 countries.

Finland

In Finland 39 savings banks in the legal form of a donation with 213 branches, 1,130 coworkers and a total balance sheet total of 4,447 million euro (conditions exist: 31. December 2004). Savings banks are surface covering represented in Finland since the bank crisis into the early 1990er years no longer. By the reestablishment of the Nooa Savings bank 2003 there is again a savings bank also in the capital Helsinki. Zentralinstitut of the savings banks is since 1995 the Aktia Savings bank PLC, which originated in to 1991 from the fusion of the savings bank of Helsinki with seven further savings banks. Aktia was converted 1993 into a corporation (PLC).

Italy

Into the 1990er years were active in Italy most savings banks as donation. In the course of a country-wide consolidation in the banking most savings banks were converted into corporations. While the donations remained existing as holding companies, a fusion fever used, with that savings banks with the banks ( Cassa di Risparmio), people banks (Banca Popolare) and commercial banks together-went. As last common link the association of savings banks ACRI (Assoziazione depression Casse di Risparmio e depression Fondazioni di Origine Bancaria) continues to exist.

Luxembourg

In Luxembourg there is the state bank 9 and state State of Banque et Caisse d'Epargne de l'Etat (BCEE).

Norway

The savings bank nature in Norway is split into two camps. On the one hand is active the saving banks NOR at the market, which fused however in the year 2004 with the DNB to the largest bank of the country.

On the other side stands a group of regional savings banks, which go under the Logo SpareBank1 country-wide into action.

Austria

In Austria the savings bank sector consists of 68 regional savings banks. Spitzeninstitut is the first bank.

Poland

The savings bank in Poland was created on operation of Pilsudski 1919 as Pocztowa Kasa Oszczednosci (postal savings bank). Today it firmiert under the name PKO BP, which stands for Powszechna Kasa Oszczednosci bank pole ski (general savings bank bank of Poland), as corporation in the government property.

Russia

The national savings bank in Russia was already created 1841. Since 1991 it firmiert as corporation under the name (Sberbank).

Spain

The savings bank nature in Spain is regionally organized. Each region has or two savings banks. These are organized similar as public in Germany and partly work without winning vines. The association of savings banks is the CECA Espaola de Cajas de Ahorros).

International savings bank combinations

European savings bank combination (ESV)

In the European savings bank combination (ESV) the savings bank organizations from 15 European Union member states and from nine further European countries are represented.

Weltinstitut of the savings banks (WIS)

Weltinstitut of the savings banks (WIS) makes world-wide exchange of experience possible under the savings bank organizations. In addition it represents the points of view of the savings banks on international level, like for example opposite the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund.

EUFISERV

The joint undertaking EUFISERV was created by the European savings banks 1990. EUFISERV aims with his international network mainly at financial traffic by transfer with transactions at money automats.

See also

List of the savings banks in Germany

Related links

• Portal www.sparkasse.de
• German savings bank and Giroverband
• Savings bank banking syndicate
• European savings bank combination (ESV) '' (English) ''
• Weltinstitut of the savings banks (WIS) '' (English) ''

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