Introduction - Genossenschaftsverband Bayern

The major part of the Raiffeisenbanks (90 per cent) also conducted
commodities transactions besides money transactions. This was characteristic
for their line of business. Commodities sales (machines, fertiliser
and feedstuff, seeds, fuels and other commodities) amounted
to 36 million Reichsmark in 1936.
From 1936 onwards, a slow merger wave started. In 1945, there
only were 3,940 Raiffeisen cooperative banks left. Nevertheless, they
were present across the board. Of the 560,000 members, two thirds
were farmers, 14 per cent tradespeople, 13 per cent, workers and
employees, and 6 per cent had other occupations. Deposits amounted
to 2,000 million Reichsmark (an increase of 55 per cent compared to
1943), a very high level indeed, though during World War II the purchase
of goods was controlled. The total volume of outstanding debits
decreased by roughly 51 per cent between 1943 (126 million
Reichsmark) and 1945 (61 million Reichsmark). This decrease was primarily
due to the general lack of liquidity and the extremely limited
range of consumer goods.
2 Cooperative banks 1945–1960
Cooperative banks contributed greatly to financing the reconstruction
of the destroyed infrastructure, dwellings and flats after World
War II. They either supplied financial means themselves or arranged
loans with the help of special institutes, e. g. Bayerische Landesbank/Münchener
Hypothekenbank (Bavarian State Bank/Munich
Mortgage Bank).
High investment needs of expanding SMEs after the currency
reform of 1948 prompted the cooperative banks to strengthen their
medium and long-term loan commitment and grant such loans in cooperation
with their central bank. From the end of 1948 to the end of
1950, the volume of granted loans by the member cooperatives of
the Bavarian Raiffeisen Association rose from 17.4 million Marks to
85.7 million Marks and increased to as much as 134.2 million Marks in
1 Cooperative banks until 1945
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