Savings bank

It is believed that the very concept of savings banks was developed by the English writer Daniel Defoe , who in 1697 proposed the organization of “Societies of friends for the development of prudence among the population” ( English Friendly Societies for Provident Habits in General ). In fact, in the Composition on Projects (1697) Defoe discussed the concept and classification of Friendly Societies, which, according to the author, existed before him (by the way, Sir Dolby Thomas, to whom the Composition on Projects is dedicated, was the chairman of the Widowship Society). There he noted that the methods of these societies are also not their own invention, referring the reader to more ancient times (see the chapter “Of Friendly-Societies”). The concept of mutual assistance societies differs from the concept of Henry Duncan's savings banks, although the former was one of the incentives for the latter to appear. Nowhere in the above “Composition” does the phrase “Friendly Societies for Provident Habits in General” be mentioned. However, in the chapter "On Banks" Defoe expresses ideas that can be found in the fundamentals of Duncan's scheme of savings banks. But Defoe was far from aiming to ascribe these ideas to himself completely (see the Preface). However, the first savings societies appeared no earlier than 1765, and their development was slow. The name "savings bank" first appeared in 1810, when a priest Henry Duncan from the village of Ratwell County Dumfrieshire in Scotland founded a small bank for his parishioners. In the first year, he attracted approximately 750 dollars of deposits ^[1] . Subsequently, savings banks were developed in Germany , France , Russia and other countries.

In the early stages of development, these institutions accumulated the savings of the poor. Gradually, the range of operations of savings banks expanded, and now they are universal commercial banks . The universalization of banks has led to increased competition between savings banks and other lending institutions for public funds as a source of capital . Currently, savings banks carry out a wide range of banking operations , including deposit, credit, investment, foreign exchange and other operations. Banks work both with private investors and with companies , other credit institutions and the state .

In some industrialized countries, savings banks occupy leading positions in the credit system , while in developing countries they are mainly focused on stimulating savings, developing housing and agricultural production , and financing social programs .

Italy

Savings banks ( Italian: Cassa di risparmio ) in Italy are engaged in the accumulation of small savings of the population. The first savings bank Cassa di Risparmio di Venezia appeared on January 12, 1822 in Venice . Subsequently, they spread throughout all the provinces of Italy . In 1880, 183 cash desks worked in Italy, and in 1927 there were already 204. But subsequently the process of merging banks began, which led to a significant reduction. As of December 2010, 87 savings banks were operating in Italy ^[2] .

Russia

In the Russian Empire, savings banks appeared in 1842 by decree of Emperor Nicholas I in St. Petersburg and Moscow. After the nationalization of banks in the Soviet Union in 1922, the USSR Gostrudsberkassas were organized, which were transformed during the banking reform of 1987 into Sberbank of the USSR .

In modern Russia, all commercial banks are engaged in savings activities. The largest bank in terms of population savings is Sberbank of Russia , which in January 2012 accounted for more than 5.5 trillion rubles ^[3] .

USA

Savings institutions in the United States are represented by commercial banks and specialized institutions: loan and savings associations and mutual savings banks .

• Money. Credit. Banks: Textbook for universities / Ed. E.F. Zhukova . - 2nd ed., Revised. and add. - M .: Unity-Dana, 2003 .-- S. 308, 540. - 50,000 copies. - ISBN 5-238-00474-5 .