Monographie Bonn-Rhein-Sieg

SAVINGS BANKS AND BANKS – DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE REGION
The core business of savings banks and banks is found in
payment and credit transactions. First and foremost, their
business is that of awarding credits, depositing savings,
trading securities and administrating assets. Some have
focussed on specific areas; others act as universal banks.
Brought down to a common denominator, the classic core
business of financial institutions revolves around the
constant cycle of savings deposits and the awarding of
credits.
In the Bonn/Rhein Sieg region, apart from regional savings
banks, credit unions and Raiffeisen banks are also re -
presented, as well as nationally- and internationally-oper -
ating business and private banks, including their branches
offices.
Public contract
the following: communal or regional credit financing. Since
the general lending guidelines and rating criteria have left
significantly less scope in the past years, it has also become
easier for these financial institutions to manage their business
in a profit-oriented manner and, in retrospect, observe
the public contract by means of sponsoring, start-ups and
via their foundations. In Bonn and the Rhein-Sieg region,
the savings banks perform this task with great dedication.
Without this, in these times of empty municipal coffers,
numerous societal, sporting, cultural and social offers could
no longer be provided. “För üch do” is the slogan of
KölnBonn savings bank – and this is a good thing!
Cooperative support
Similar to savings banks, cooperative banks’ primary objective
is that of investing sustainably. This means that stable
107
Many cannot and also do not want to manage all of their
daily financial transactions online or by phone. In this regard,
the obligatory physical visit to their bank is by no means
only related to the customers’ age. It is also a question of
trust. Because, and this probably applies for every individual,
one would prefer to know that the instrument that means
material security for the own future is entrusted in the hands
of trustworthy persons, rather than in forms or electronic
voices that monotonously provide different banking
options. No, in this regard, contact persons are required with
whom clients have developed a relationship over time;
ideally there where they live or close to their work. With their
dense branch structure, it is especially savings and co -
operative banks that are particularly close to this idea of a
financial sector that is aligned to the principles of serving
the common good.
The primary business model of savings banks is not that of
attaining high returns. Much rather, their public contract is
In a nutshell:
The German banking landscape is highly varied. Together with
the home loan banks, a total of about 75 credit institutes are
active. To be added to this are about 20 private banks and,
currently, still eight regional state banks, however there is a
declining trend in this regard.
yields take precedence over high-risk ventures. The law
governing the operations of cooperatives regulates that
every cooperative member – independently of the amount
of its own deposits – has one vote. First of all, cooperative
banks are liable for the members’ well-being, thus maxi -
mising profits for all members. Thereafter, though, the
cooperative banks also see their task to be that of getting
involved for the common good. The cooperative and
Raiffeisen banks in Bonn and the entire region support a
diverse number of projects. In this regard, attention is